This poem was performed at, and composed for, our 50th anniversary celebration, In Pursuit of Justice, on October 10, 2019.

Here Comes the Sun

by Yolanda Wisher

when there is no sun, make one

out of tin foil or glitter

Wissahickon schist or lion-haired moss

make a sun like a child makes a sun

groovy with sunglasses, crowned with hyphens

double u’s flying by

when there is no sun for Allen

waiting trial, wanting to see his boy

on his birthday

when there is no sun for Cassandra

for whom the locks & rules are changed

& the dream of home becomes a nightmare

when there is no sun shining

over segregated schools built

to keep kids with disabilities in the dark

when the sun for fourth graders in Radnor

shines brighter than the sun

on fourth graders in William Penn

when there is no sun for high school seniors

who think their votes mean nothing

because of how district lines are drawn

when there is no sun for the gardens

that grow in alleys & vacant lots in the city

in the face of the city

when there is no sun

because the fog from the plant next door

blocks it out

make one

make it out of motions & class action

truth-telling & promise-keeping, hand-holding

make it out of leftover love & love for tomorrow

from the first fighters, sun-makers, day-bringers, soul-talkers

when there is no sun, make one

make it loud & full, a cautionary tale, a light at the end of errors

make it thick with context, a streetlamp blushing, a gold grape dangling

when there is no sun, make one

for the darlings with rainy days ahead

for yourself to fall back on when you’re backed into

make one

with your bare hands, with your one good nerve

or your god’s grace, whichever speaks first

make each planet from scratch

if you have to