Mustafa Santiago Ali
Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is the Executive Vice President of Conservation & Justice for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), former Interim Chief of Programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and Instructor at American University. He is the Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He also serves as a commissioner for The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). He is an award-winning writer and poet focused on social justice. Dr. Ali is frequently seen on television, including appearances on MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, VICE, FUSE, BET, National Geographic, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Democracy NOW! Mustafa is also a regular guest on Roland Martin Unfiltered, Black News Channel, Tavis Smiley Show, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and many others…
Editor's Note: This poem is the 58th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political events
he’s the drought, a dust devil swirling in disguise, while the earth sweats and cracks under his lies— sells us out for a barrel of oil, thick and crude, let storms swallow lives, he’s in his gold-plated mood
Kamala knows the price of a flooding rain, she stands in the torrent, shoulderin’ pain, while he denies the fever that burns our land, she’s out there with the people, palm to hand
he spreads conspiracies like salt on a wound, watches dreams drown while he hums a tune plays puppeteer with fear in his fist, stokes the chaos, and calls it a twist
Project 2025, a promise to bleed every river, every tree, for his greed and FEMA fades under his careless sweep, disaster a game, he dreams while we weep
but Kamala’s here, in the storm’s aftermath, steady as sun breaking after the wrath she’s breathing life back to bruised-up towns, lifting us up while he tears us down
so tell us again how you don’t believe while we bury our dead, while mothers grieve— our homes underwater, fires ablaze, you profit on poison, we count the days
we see you, Mr. Trump, in the thick of the smoke, while Kamala breathes hope into everyday folk our memories long, and we know the score, your days are numbered—we’re coming for more.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
#Poetry #hurricanemilton2024 #ProudBlue #HurricanMilton #Milton #SaveLives #VoteClimate #KamalaHarris #Trump