peako green

poet (they/he) - @peakogreen Commaful, All Poetry, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok

[peakogreen]

::. once, and for all .::

-

ironically, weapons

that defend capital interests

also protect sovereignty

they say no one wins

but I’ve learned to worry less

just by seeing women train legs

in an arms race

they don’t stand a chance.

why would you go backwards when

you have the strength

to forge forward?

and yet some still believe he who controls the narrative

on the English channel,

controls the world

but the truth

is the only thing you’ll get away with

we don’t need surveillance,

we need you to treat people with respect,

once and for all

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

if you’re right within,

if you think you’re a good person,

you need to be

more honest with yourself,

and less afraid.

it’s so important.

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

all this flagrant corruption requires your consent

“I can’t do this in good conscience” is a respectable way of refusing to be complicit,

we need to be okay saying it

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

if you haven't already forfeited love for a comfortable arrangement

-

kindness isn't peace

that's why people love love so much

because they have the freedom to define it

with a lot less justice than is required of peace

.•.peako green•.•

[peakogreen]

dignity

—

you were taught different plays

but we're free to forget

a stranger never had to earn my respect

There’s nothing to prove

but I still like to celebrate your achievements,

for the fun of the game

And somewhere between heroic & tame,

you'll find virtue signals

and moderates

who only understand performance

How clumsy we are

with our morals

in all these quarrels

immersed in

the grace of girls

harsh critics

and generous patience

taken for granted

love, meaning

happen when

you bring life to canvas

.•.peako green•.•

—

IWD ‘26

[peakogreen]

"you reap what you sow" has turned out to be

one of the hardest pills to swallow.

It serves as a reminder after all this time

because no amount of lies or systemic injustice

changes it

from the earliest people who chose not to plant seeds,

to slave owners,

to what you choose to invest in today

you get what you put in

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

~ good guy centrists ~

every bit of courage is appreciated

in the wake of the widespread struggle

and it lends to leaning on confident figures,

which welcomes this kind of heroic benevolence

that can’t take a full step

when it comes to

Palestine

& the ethical treatment of animals.

Somehow that’s going too far.

Nothing else matters.

In the process of

imperialistic destruction of home & soul,

nothing else matters

but the most obvious abuse of power,

and what comes of it.

And that’s because

many people don’t follow the money,

or the methane,

or the politics,

and will kindly shy away from resistance

and having their bubble bursted.

So if you can’t speak the truth

because it makes others uncomfortable

then stop acting like a champion.

Be more supportive of the people who

play for the team, and not for points.

.•.peako green •.•

[peakogreen]

sometimes the conclusions we come to aren't conclusions at all, they're just shifts in perspective so we can welcome the next chapter in our lives

[peakogreen]

protectors of the status quo

—

the debate is exhausting,

and people who deflect know this.

Ideally, everyone goes home

and nothing gets done.

this is why we become experts.

Some beneficiaries need to be cornered

before they’ll take responsibility,

and what comes next is,

the leap towards reconciliation,

don’t be sorry to the advocates,

be sorry to the victims.

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

turquoise drizzle

—

we’ve always spoken

so fondly of bravery

but we only recently

started informing people

how harmful being afraid can be.

So as that cowardice slowly evaporates,

you’ll begin to notice that

there is more than enough to go around

and happiness

& love aren’t these elusive feelings

that only happen to fortunate people

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

the greedy cut social supports & privatize public services,

then the people hurt,

then crime goes up,

then fear goes up,

and then the police state looks like the heroes

protecting very insensitive, incredibly privileged people.

when you combine pride & cowardice,

you can become easily comforted by separation.

we need to disrupt this cycle

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

one of the advantages of

making honesty a priority in your life is that

at the end of all the frustration & stress

we experience in an argument,

you get to walk away with the truth.

Sure, you weren’t able to convince someone else of the truth

but they don’t want to be convinced,

and more times than not,

they just aren’t ready for it,

or it messes up their plans

or lifestyle.

But the thing is,

you don’t get to walk away with the truth,

if you don’t prioritize it and practice it,

otherwise you’re just gonna keep walking away frustrated

with your opinions

and the handful of lies you tell yourself

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

there are people who profit off of your insecurities and that greed makes it hard to see that you’re doing so much better than you might think.

there’s a whole lot of hope that you’ll feel like a failure and just fall in line like all those people before us

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

because that’s what I like

—

hope will have you looking back like

you had the best intentions

and were always against what was wrong,

but the truth is,

you just want to be liked.

and anyone who has felt unsatisfied

recovering from

people pleasing knows

we can’t just take care of ourselves.

It’s important

but it’s only a step in the right direction,

it’s not the answer.

Because when things get uncomfortable,

you retreat into your privilege.

There are people out there who are in desperate need,

and those are the people who will thank you dearly for

not caring what others think of you.

that’s love.

that’s respect

that you will never find trying to be liked.

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

economic gaslighting

often used when pursuing innovation, but it also holds true for pursuing justice

“where there is a will there is a way”

don’t let anyone tell you, you are being unrealistic advocating for equality, fairness, or basic needs

.•.peako green•.•

[peakogreen]

kindness, complicity, complacency

—

there are far too many driven, greedy, self-interested people for us to think that just being neutral & pleasant are what will propel us into a better world

you really need to advocate for what is right

or

they will justify what is wrong

.•.peako green•.•

—

[peakogreen]

misogyny, patriarchy, toxic masculinity

—

it’s so easy to blame women,

but women actually don’t want to make your life harder than it has to be,

as much as they can be difficult at times.

the truth is,

the people who think they only live once,

who don’t believe in eventual karmic balance,

are the ones who make your life substantially harder than any woman has ever made it.

there are people who are

patient and see the light at the end of your tunnel,

and there are people who don’t care that you die empty

.•.peako green•.•

—