I Want A World Separate from Capitalism
By E.L.Dan
My friends and I would spend our days tending to our creative
projects: my hands busy crocheting a hat for Amber’s new baby,
Ella reading me that mystical writing project she’s been dreaming of,
Allie playing their guitar in between sips of coffee. In this space,
we are allowed to dream. Productivity and worth are parallel lines
that never cross the pathways of our minds.
Today is my 31st birthday. 24 years ago I was a nonbinary kid sitting
at their plastic red craft desk in their dining room—my most favorite
place to try to make sense of the world. I would write short stories about
a Christmas tree too small for anyone to want to take home, ants having
a picnic in the park and all they would feast on. There’s a craft I still have
from elementary school: a yellow construction paper star with my school
picture in the middle, like a glowing orb of light. It reads:
Erin wishes she could give beds to people.
And what I’d give to know the context of this wish. When was the first time
I realized that not everyone is gifted the same level of humanity? That the ones
in power grab all the money they can fit in their pockets only to blame it on people
they claim are illegal on stolen land? How would I tell my younger self about
this joke of a president who desperately wants to control our bodies and tries
to shove us into boxes of pink or blue? I would invite them, and you, too, to kick over
those canisters of paint. Destroy the borders of your imagination. Tap into the place
within you where their hatred cannot reach. Stretch out your hands and create
from that place. The place that says:
We have been storytellers since the beginning of time.
Creating something from nothing is as natural to us as breathing.
We need your art now more than ever. Unedited, unfiltered, seen in the glow of the
morning light, a holy exhibit of permission, exactly as it was always meant to be.
Erin Dansevicus (they/them) is an artist, poet, author, Reiki practitioner, and owner of their own small business, Rooted In Courage, which utilizes the healing modalities of poetry, Reiki, art, and meditation in order to empower others in hopes of moving toward collective liberation. Erin (aka E.L.Dan) is the author of Let the Water Run Clear, a collection of poetry that spans over a decade and explores themes such as mental health, body image, sexuality, gender identity, fear, shame, and healing. Erin currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with their wife, cat, dog, and rescued betta fish.
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