My Mom’s Wisdom – A Tribute to Diane di Prima on the Eve of This Election

by Dominique DiPrima –

My beloved mother, poet Diane di Prima passed away on Sunday. Mom was an iconic author, activist and feminist. She instilled in all of her children the importance of questioning authority and believing in our own creativity. She was unconventional, fearless and original. Her message and way of being is more important now, during this election, during this time of fear and division than ever.

The war that matters is the war against the imagination

That’s a line from one of her poems. These days we talk about reimagining police, reimagining justice and the verse comes to mind – my mom’s wisdom speaks to me. Reimagining means we have the opportunity to stay strong not just in what we are against but what we are for…Not just in exposing lies but in elevating the truth.

With a man in the White House who has lied 20,000 times since taking office will we lose our power of discernment?

When a pandemic mandates distance and isolation will we remember that we are truly free to love?

When police continue to gun our young men and women down in the streets will we be powerful enough to visualize a just peace?

And whose version of reality will we embrace, internalize, manifest?

the ultimate famine

is the starvation of the imagination

Mom’s words.

The war is the war for the human imagination.

and no one can fight it but you/& no one can fight it for you.

This election season let’s vote and vote early and continue to protest, and petition an boycott. We must stand up against voter suppression, militaristic policing, racism and the stealing of this election. But let’s remember that voting and even marching is just the beginning. It’s urgent that we focus on what we want. It’s time to trust our truth and vividly imagine the future we are fighting for.

THE ONLY WAR THAT MATTERS IS THE WAR AGAINST

THE IMAGINATION