A week ago I flew home with a cold.
The next day I sat down for the result
from voters who apparently mistold
the pollsters. Now I’m witnessing tumult
and rampant fear. My Sapphic friends are freaked;
the adult kids need more than those in school;
our national anxiety has peaked;
Caucasian dropouts clamor to be cruel.

My own Millennials request a word –
they say they crave perspective, so I turn
to yearning faces, saying “It’s absurd.
But being wrong’s a chance for us to learn.
You guys can gather wisdom if you choose,
but this above all else: don’t watch the news.”