Our New Anthem

 Our New Anthem

after Aris Kian

in the age of streaming, gofundmes,
& the great so-called resignation

PUA, NFTs, & YouTube monetization
TikTok trends & endless wars
an apocalyptic phantom

if we need a revolution
we forsure need a new anthem

we need an anthem remixed from
the fragments of our struggles –
from a sunrise over Occupy
& the bills your sister juggles
on a beat that samples voices lost
in Ferguson, Missouri
over war cries sung at Standing Rock
full of all our tender fury

& the rawness of Snotty Nose Rez Kids
& the earnestness of Chance
the intensity of Saba
& the beat to drive the dance of Calle 13
not to mention the intelligence of NoName
& the soul of our Jamila Woods
we who wrote rules to our own game

cuz the older one was so lame it couldn't lead us any further
down the highway of our history / like a static frozen cursor

this new anthem has not been recorded,
written, mixed, or mastered
but it's being sung on every tongue
making beauty of disaster

we the students, we the teachers,
we the artists in the basements,
we the poets, we the dancers,
we the drummers, we the bassists,
we the beatmakers, the singers,
the kids who color outside the lines,
the self-employed content-creators
making the content of our times,
we the hackers & the bloggers,
the astrologers and nurses,
we the workers & the unemployed
counting blessings, shouting curses

we the people, come to cash our check
& make the last the first

our anthem will be sung in chorus
in every single language
over every human rhythm
at every factory abandoned
every picket line & protest
every jail & tent encampment

till the day we take our world back
& gather at the banquet

then we'll stand for our new anthem
with our hands upon our hearts
& we'll sing together

then, at last,
the true music will start.