HP Rivers

  • A Blessing for Month 19

    When loveFeels like the trenchesAnd the only way outIs through hell –And you have seen enough of hell,Thank-you-VERY-much –And giving upIs the onlyLessDesirable option – Breathe. Be heldBy whatever-the-fuck-in-Godde’s-nameHas carried you this far. And rest there.

    HP Rivers

  • Brave

    I used to buy my courage secondhandAt the Lucky Duck Thrift ShopWhere every purchase supportedLocal kids with autism,And emboldenedLocal queers with trembling handsAnd pounding hearts. They shut downSome time ago;The economy doesn’t seem to like usWhen we’re full of courage,Thirsty for our own power. These daysI hunt it on the street,Holding my own handAs I…

    HP Rivers

  • Burnout

    Dear Person, I hope this message Finds you well, Though your message Did not find me the same. Thank you for your request. It is reasonable, And well within the scope Of my abilities And duties. However, You see, The world is on fire, And I am burning to a crisp As I type. You…

    HP Rivers

  • Feet

    I wash my own feet, And I think nothing of it – It is a mundane thing But it does make me wonder If radical love Need not be radical – It does make me think That the most radical way We can love another Is to love their mundane, Worship their everyday, Revere their…

    HP Rivers

  • Fog

    Inspired by and dedicated to my beloved and brilliant friend, JeKaren, who always reminds me that joy and resilience are spiritual practices. “Fog lifts. We lift. We find what we are looking for with our hands if not our eyes. I think we have to keep asking ourselves where is the joy? JeKaren Olaoya Joy…

    HP Rivers

  • Onset

    Knowing the storm is coming Might be the worst part. It’s like going away to war – Again, Like saying your goodbyes Just in case, Like wondering If you’ll ever come home again. She kicks in the door Like an old nemesis And smiles, Sweet as tea, As she licks her teeth. Depression Doesn’t care…

    HP Rivers

  • Instructions

    Sitting on our dining room floor Assembling a cheap dresser With inadequate instructions You laugh and say, “Babe, I’m not doing feelings right now – I’m doing power tools.” I think, “I want to remember this moment When I am dying.” Because I have never been more in love Than I am here, in this…

    HP Rivers