After the fire, there is a moment, when the veils have been burnt away, and you see the world anew. The people you thought you knew, you realize were not who you thought they were. The friends you thought you had, were not. In the aftermath, you find you have to rebuild. Knowing what you now know, you realize, who was really there for you, who reached out, who supported you. Knowing that, you can sink your foundations deeper, or take what cloth remains and make a sail to fly away on. There is always a new dawn, though the earth may have shifted beneath your feet. People who survived police violence, can never quite view police the same way again. People attacked by racists, can have a hard time trusting others again. But the fact is now you know that that evil exists. It is not an abstract thing. You have had a glimpse into a small part of it, but were protected as well by your white privilege. Learn from that, and plant new seeds and grow.

© words by Daniel DeMarle 9/9/2020