trudged out of bed
late this morning
not willing to join
this new shaken world
to find my twin sons
seated on the couch
with furrowed brows
tears in their reddened eyes
they’ve endured bullying at school
for being autistic
the whole of their twenty-year-old lives
how horrified they were earlier this year
when they saw a presidential candidate
make fun of a disabled person
during a campaign speech
now that candidate has won the presidency
my sons asked me,
“Mom, we’re scared. How could this happen?”
“How could Americans elect a bully?”
“How will we be safe?”
“Will we be allowed to go to college?”
“Will we be institutionalized?”
answer them, mr. president-elect…
i am a mother
i am a woman
i will unleash hell
before your eyes
