Roar

Roar is all I can do right now. I am so incredibly angry and disappointed that a brilliant, tireless public servant can lose an election to a confirmed racist, xenophobe, sexist, misogynist, inexperienced tyrant. It is so hard to believe that this country could really choose Trump over Clinton.

In between roars, I remind myself that if I believe that love trumps hate, and I do, that means more love is needed now than ever. I keep reminding myself what the Buddha said: "Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law."

It's gonna take a lot of love to heal these wounds.

It doesn't help at all for me to have Clinton's concession speech be anything other than speaking truth to power -- and that's what I believe is called for in times like this. Instead she spouts bullshit about how all the young girls listening should never doubt that they can achieve their dreams.

Really? I beg to differ. I think a more accurate statement is that if you are a woman, you will very likely have to fight harder your whole life, still get less and fall short of achieving your dreams so long as there is a man around to take it away from you.

What gets to me the most, though, isn't wage disparity or people not voting for women because they are afraid it will make America appear weak (and I heard someone on NPR saying just that). That's upsetting enough. But what really gets me is that a man of whom America has seen a video of him saying that he has the license to grab a woman by the pussy without even asking -- that he is somehow the choice to be the leader of the free world.

I don't f$%^ing get it.

So I'll just roar, along with my friend Katy Perry:

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath

Scared to rock the boat and make a mess

So I sit quietly, agree politely

I guess that I forgot I had a choice

I let you push me past the breaking point

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)

Already brushing off the dust

You hear my voice, you hear that sound

Like thunder gonna shake the ground

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)

Get ready 'cause I've had enough

I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

You're gonna hear me roar

Now I'm floating like a butterfly

Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes

I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)

Already brushing off the dust

You hear my voice, you hear that sound

Like thunder gonna shake the ground

You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)

Get ready 'cause I've had enough

I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

(You're gonna hear me roar)

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

(You'll hear me roar)

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

You're gonna hear me roar...

Yep. I'm pretty sure you just did...