View fullsize

My poem is a homage to the 2025 movements “Hands Off” and “MayDay” protesting the current administration. I wanted to honor their meaning and the sheer amount of people who gathered to fight for balance. A sight which was awe-inspiring throughout my writing process. I chose scales as a metaphor because the impartial justice boasted by America’s legal system has become unbalanced - there’s ICE deportations without due process fostering tragedies like Kilmar Abrego Garcia. That’s why my poem’s call to action is for nonviolent protest: it creates tension, forcing the hand for negotiation, as described by MLK Jr. in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”