Being a proponent for positive social change
can be a lot like a gardener sowing seeds.

Some seed will never touch the soil,
instead finding rest on the footpath.
This footpath is paved by pure selfishness,
willful ignorance, and greed.
It hurts, but if there are people in this world
who can still deny observable science,
there will always be someone who hates.
Try not to be discouraged.
Marching boot and shoe will trample those on this path;
crows will look to feast.
Let them.

Some seed will fall in rocky soil.
The beginnings of good ideas will sprout
but the drive for progress then sputters.
Ignorance–a little less willful–can still be found here;
so also can life’s misfortunes.
Sickness slows the doer
while heartbreak paralyzes the lover.
It’s hard to donate money
when you’re barely making ends meet yourself.
I find myself wondering
how these seeds would do in good soil.

Some seed will fall amongst the thorns,
which are themselves a sign the soil can nurture.
It’s a difficult space because good people do dwell here.
They can see the strived-for light
yet they continually get snagged on the hard questions;
legitimate concerns like
how is this being funded?
Should our children be exposed to that so soon?
Disagree if you must,
for misguided perspectives still persist,
but to navigate the social dynamics here
you must risk getting pricked once or twice.
Remember, if properly cared for
the same plant that wields the thorn
can yield resplendent rose.

And then there’s some seed that falls in good soil.
They see what is still wrong in the world
as a call to action,
growing into gardeners
striving for the acceptance of every lifestyle,
defending the weak when injustice emerges,
and trying to build everyone into the best version of themselves.
This is the space
we should all clamor to be in,
the open mind we should seek to possess.
It is where our journeys should find completion.

For life is a journey we are all on
whether we’re seasoned
or just learning how to walk;
this must be remembered above everything
as well as respect in all matters.
We are human beings,
not seed, not soil, not path,
not crow, not stone, not thorn.
Some people will always be hard–or impossible–to reach
but rocks can be dug out,
thorn can be tamed.
Nature can even reclaim the road.

It is by working together despite our differences,
opposing malice
and lending support through times of sorrow sorrow
that we can generate more and more healthy soils.
More gardeners
to help weed out the hate.

And in this way,
our still-young world
will never cease to grow.