Giving Double Chai Vibes: How to Give and Save Life

The Powers That Be v. me in 36 stanzas.

1. They will not scare me into compliance. I am not afraid.
2. They will not wear me out. I am already tired, AND I am always ready to go.
3. They cannot shock me. I am unshakeable.
4. They will not silence me. My cries and screams are preternatural.
5. They will not make me mask up or man up. I don’t wear armor; I wear my heart on my sleeve.
6. They cannot make me hate nor harden. I am far too full of love and grace.
7. They will not show me the error of my ways. I don’t need might or religion to be right.
8. They will not break me. I am broken and beautiful just as I am. So are you.
9. They will not sell us, steal us, or trick us. We're not so easily fooled.
10. They cannot steal our spirit, either. As Shirley Chisholm says, we are unbought and unbothered.
11. They cannot surprise me. I know what’s coming.
12. They will not control the narrative forever or keep up the mirage. We write our own stories, and we share the truth at scale.
13. They cannot censure us all. The cat is out of the bag. Try as they might to get rid of them, “the cat came back the very next day.”🎶
14. They cannot trick us. We see the man pulling levers behind the curtain and he is most definitely NOT a wizard.
15. They will not dismiss us, categorize us, or diminish us. We are the witches they couldn’t burn “And we’ll come back again and again and again.” We’re not binary but our names are written in code, on repeat.
16. They will not make me forget or erase a soul. I am a witness, a vault, a documentarian, and a poet. Never forget. Never again. Not in my name.
17. They will not maintain supremacy indefinitely. Oceans rise; empires always fall.
18. They will not make me a believer or force beliefs on others. I already see: the Emperor is as naked as the day he was born.
19. They cannot really believe their own bull shit. I refuse to give them a benefit of the doubt.
20. They will not look away. We will show them the impacts and horrors of their (in)actions.
21. They will not get a pass. We will hold them ALL accountable. We will hold ourselves accountable too.
22. They will not steal our labor or force us to give birth. Our work is not a favor and our body’s do not belong to any human on earth.
23. They cannot justify more, more violence, or war, or loss. I am clear in my stance on the value of life. I am clear that humans DO NOT have the right to take the breath of others.
24. They cannot change my mind. I am unwavering in my commitment to justice.
25. They won’t change, either. We know who they are because they told us and showed us.
26. They cannot make me make me fold. I’ve already taken a stand.
27. They will not make me madder. I am already rage-filled and sad.
28. They cannot freeze my heart. It is filled with warmth from all of you.
29. They will not make me shrink. I am steadfast with my arms outstretched.
30. They will not beat me. I'm not here to compete, but to #CareMore.
31. They will not succeed. Their definition of winning is flawed. It requires losers. We the people and planet have too much to lose to play games.
32. They will not save us. They are not saviors; we don’t need them for liberation.
33. They cannot claim violence is a means to an end. Care and compassion will mean their end.
34. They will not arm us to harm us. We are the flower children’s children.
35. They will not find a moment of peace. War never made anyone safer.
36. They cannot stop us. We’re just getting started.