Whittle

Do not dismantle
the patriarchy.

Tearing apart a building
brick by brick from the
top down leaves a
foundation in its wake.

Do not smash it
or burn it
or leave behind
remnants of rubble,
ashes from which
even the darkness
can rise.

Instead, dig it up
from the earth.
Starve rapacious
and predatory roots
from the resources
they have plundered.

Free the soil
from toxins
that leave it
starving,
hollow,
victimized.

Churn the earth,
ever so gently,
and let it rest.

A year of jubilee.

Whittle the wood
into a thing of
beauty that tells
the narrative of
a history transformed
but not forgotten.