at the end of
the song,
the man finishes
his verse and
then the microphones
are left on,
to catch the eruption
from the other people
in the recording studio.
people yelling.
people cheering.
people laughing.
people encouraging the man
and celebrating the verse
he has just completed.
this is why
people
join gangs.
this is why
people become
radicalized.
to have people
cheer you.
to have people,
even briefly,
even for false
or violent or
unhealthy reasons,
support you.
even when it isn’t really
support.
to feel like
you matter
will compel a
person
to do
nearly anything.
the boats are floating
again
this morning
in the harbor,
just as they did
the morning before.
the morning before,
the harbor was
locked in ice.
overnight,
the temperature rose
as the clouds descended.
overnight,
the water
that had become
separate,
a thin skin floating
atop all the rest,
returned itself
back
to the sea, back
to the sky.
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