Supposed to be

A poem inspired by Zoe Leonard

Even our fantasy of an ideal president was a man of infidelity, so 
I don’t know what an ideal president is supposed to look like. 
Is it possible to be a politician and speak truthfully? 

I sometimes feel crushed by the weight of what I don’t know. 
Before I even open my mouth I am bracing for impact, 
bracing for someone to point out all the logical flaws of my utopia. 

So… here’s some bravery. 

I want a president who would have immediately divested 
from Chevron and weapons manufactures in the face of the Palestinian genocide. 
Who would not have stood idly by as the infrastructure and future generations of Palestinians crumbled. I want a president nuanced enough to understand 
that this stance is not antisemitic. 

I want a president who is a little rough around the edges 
but not Donald trump rough.

I want a president who challenges the FDA’s relationship with big pharma 
and prioritizes the health care of its people over the profit of corporations 

I want a president who doesn’t assume a fundamentally positive 
or even neutral view of technology.  I want a president 
who has enough critical thinking skills to call bullshit 
on tech being a neutral platform and label it as what it is, 
a threat to our human agency. 

I want a president who does not stoop 
to the lowest common denominator when communicating, 
who does not hijack our most primal fears for likes and self-serving media cycles. 
I want a president who embraces love, 
who sees the best in society. 

I want a president who will reinstate Roe vs Wade 

I want a president who leads their daily executive briefings 
with breathwork and mindfulness 

I want a president who paints, who sings, draws, hikes, 
and has completed the twelve steps of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way 

Inspired by Zoe Leonard’s I want a president