Don’t talk to me about bootstraps
I was raised in sneakers
And my laces won’t hold my weight
But that’s kinda the point
“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps”
Is the dismissive shorthand of apathy
The saying is a posture of priveledge
As if misfortune is a personal problem
As if an independent spirit is the cure
Even those born with boots
Can’t pull themselves up by straps
The fortunate prescribe a magic trick
An absurd act of impossibility
Knowing that boots don’t trickle down
Knowing that straps cant make us fly
We are held down by our own feet
Our absurdity is asking for help
Some extra hands to lift us up.
Elizebeth Turnquist 
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