January brought one sunny day to Chicago
skies colorless, a shroud
we could not lift
each lengthening day promising only more gray

Even memory couldn’t conjure the sun

In Washington a trial convened under a cloud
and adjourned in darkness
ending where it started
yet we lost ground
At the finish we bent double
gasping for breath
a marathon behind us, the unknown ahead

I want to comfort you with history
the trials we’ve survived
I want to tell you tribulation makes us stronger
the republic has weathered darker times

I have believed this before

Here’s the truth I struggle to admit:
I am tired and no longer convinced
My trust in neighbors has faded
My old belief that truth would out
seems childish naivete
I stopped believing in my countrymen
when they chose this government three years ago

I yearn to recover my faith in humankind

The sun peeked out briefly today
painting halos around clouds
For five minutes the sky glowed bright

Photo by Jordan Wozniak on Unsplash

Kim Kishbaugh is a former journalist who looks for magic in the universe and sometimes finds it. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Escape into Life, goodbaad, and Tiny Seed Literary Journal. Find her on Twitter @kkish.