We live in the both-and,
a badlands and a good one.
one of the hardest lessons:
joy and pain,
a dance in the bones.
It's a ceasefire without liberation
A containment that still burns.
How can I celebrate
finishing my book while
Palestine and Los Angeles burn.
We sit in the mud
watching a lotus bloom
between our toes
A raw squishy beginning
from scars and blank pages
Is it a happy cry or a sad one,
the young ones ask.
I don't know.
Sometimes--
I wish I could promise
the young ones
something else--
sometimes,
I
just
cry.
Sharon Frances is an author/illustrator and mental health advocate for youth and families.
Her forthcoming book, Ash and Feather, is an illustrated novel-in-verse about a bird-girl and her parent's cancer. Available April 25, 2025. To learn more, visit: www.sharonjoyfrances.com/coming-soon
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