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Joy is an Act of Resistance

Evil vaunts itself above good,
an apparition looming large,
ready to bludgeon or browbeat,
manipulate and coerce,
humiliate and consternate.

Error struts its illusory plumage,
gnawing at truth’s heels
impersonating veracity.

But you will not be tricked.
You are not having a bit of it.

Evil and error need you
to sanction it,
to stand aghast,
to rail against it
to sharpen its blade.

But you blithely
refuse to go there.

You appreciate the warm light
kissing the orchid,
thrill to the shape
of ice melting
into a frolicking spring,
and stand in awe at
the planets all aligned
in the night sky.

You read a good book,
entirely immersed and diverted
by a rip-roaring fictitious story
filled with the integrity
of heroes and heroines
successfully saving the day.

You savor spicy gingerbread,
warm from the oven,
while planning some fun travel.
You cavort with family,
playing cards
next to the blazing
Sunday fire.

You romp with friends,
in the shimmering evening,
grateful for community,
discussing the delights
of screen-free childhoods,
with robust sticker collections,
and monolithic lego creations.
Together you laugh and tease,
giggle and chortle,
amuse and guffaw.

You thumb your nose at the news,
and wander off to plant a garden.
You study what interests you
like the world’s future is intact.

It’s not that
you are surrendering
to what you would never want,
nor are you
complacently acquiescing
to anything other than good,
but you are whip-smart,
so you know

that joy
is the best,
most annoying,
most oppositional,
most sustainable
and most incredibly
potent and productive
form of resistance available.

It will win the day,
as nothing else can,
for error and evil
will run out of gas,
and self destruct
if no one fills its tank
or oils its pistons
with attention,
reaction, and dismay.

So join with me
in amplifying love and unity
and reasons for rejoicing.
What we focus on
we’ll get more of.

Resist
by insisting
on being happy,
regardless.

Polly Castor
3/3/2025

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