Take My Hand

Despite the practicalities of others;
Their delayed gratification;
Their fear of risking complication,
Fear of getting personal,
Fear of the messes,
Fear of exposure, which, as a result, becomes
Fear of elation;
Their customs, their plans, their dreams;
Their; heart-shaped yield signs;
Their friendly gifts
Of disease-covered blankets
(Though they are so soft and warm);
Their USO dances, their letters,
The ammunition, the shields,
The photographs, the memories,
The histories, the futures,
The best-laid plans
Of mice and men;
And all the developments of civilization:
From farming to deforestation
To paved roads, from workers' guilds
To labor unions to corporate buy-outs,
From cottages to pagodas to skyscrapers;
Despite all their attempts to cut us
A straight path over rivers and through mountains,
I want to walk through minefields with you.