Love Inside a Ruin – Tyre Nichols

(Inspired by Yehuda Amichai’s  poem, Advice for Good Love)

And advice for a horrible, no-good tragedy: with

The terrible, no-good tragedy left over

From the previous one,

Make impossible demands of the victim,

Then with what is left of those demands,

Make a horrible, no-good tragedy again,

And go on like that

Until nothing remains.

And advice for numbness: with

A nation’s numbness left over

From the previous ones

Make a young man cry, Mom, Mom

Then what is left of that young man’s death

Make a new numbness again

And go on like that

Until nothing remains.

 

 

And advice for horrible police beatings: with

the horrible beatings leftover

from the previous one

Make a new fist bump for yourself,

Then with what is left of your fist bump,

Embrace compassion

And go on like that

Until only understanding remains.

 

 

And advice for a good photograph: with

the good photo left over

from the previous one

capture a new sunset for someone other than yourself

then with what is left from that sunset

make a good photograph again

and go on like

That is until Tyre’s portfolio is teeming with life.

 

 

And advice for human kindness: with

a human kindness leftover

From the previous one

Build a positive intention for yourself

Then with what is left of that positive intention

Make another human kindness again

And go on like

that until only love remains.