I sit at my dining room table, glancing at the fridge where styrofoam boxes of leftovers await me and yet-

Half a mile away the familiar rotation of homeless people asks for anything at the entrance of the highway

I sit at my table, warm inside on a January day, with our dog on our quiet street where we take long walks in the neighborhood, the same neighborhood where the babies I nanny play freely and I run through with my headphones on and yet-

2.2 miles away, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by a cop in cold blood while playing with a toy gun in the park (West Blvd) and

10 miles away, black babies are dying at a rate of 3 times that of white babies (Hough Ave)

I look at my water bottle filled with the tap from the kitchen and yet-

144 miles away, there hasn’t been safe drinking water in over 5 years (Flint) and

1300 miles away Indigenous People have again been stripped of their land and right to clean water (Standing Rock)

I’m safe in my home while

6000 miles away, innocent humans brace for air-strikes coming from my country (Tehran) and

9700 miles away the Earth is on fire and millions of animals are perishing (Australia)

I sit

I sit and yet.

AP 1/4/20