One Day
by Buddah Desmond
Giving our all—
Giving our all again and again
Because we know nothing else
Pouring every ounce of ourselves into all we touch
Leaving nothing to question
Blazing pathways
Creating new trails
Breaking records
Setting new standards
Looking at us, you may never know the epic that lies beneath—
unless we let you into our world
And even if we do—
you may not believe it
Because we channel the feelings and wisdom
of our lived experiences into our gifts
We bleed out
Bare our souls
Transcend the cells, skin, and bones
that we’re made of
We’re intricate, transformative beings—
shifting battlefields into fields of joy and love
One day
Maybe one day we won’t have to fight so much
Maybe one day the beauty and complexity of our lives
can be embraced without the unnecessary institutionalized,
cultural, and societal trauma
Maybe one day we’ll shine like the stars we’ve always been
without the risk of being snuffed out
Maybe one day
One day…
Buddah Desmond aka BDez (he / him / they / them) is a DMV-based writer / poet / artist whose writing shares lessons from adversity to triumph and offers messages of hope, love, healing, and resilience. They are the author of six poetry collections, including their most recent releases, Everything I Miss(ed) At Home (2023) and Coming Up From the Downside: Finding Joy in Our Song (2024).