Hanif Abdurraqib

The key opens a door.

Inside, on the other side of the door, is a place where you'll be safe for three hours.

And so I tend to think that, for me...

I've been lucky enough in my life where I feel like I've been in community with elders and younger folks, and I've also been in, of course, just a broad swath of people who I'm in community with.

And oftentimes, it does not feel like to give of myself in a way that serves or feeds others is that difficult or challenging.

It feels instead like this very simple thing of, I have a key to something, I am going to unlock something, and we are going to sit in a place that feels comfortable and safe for us for as long as it takes.

And in some ways, the miracle is to say, I will surrender my time to you.

And through the surrendering of my time, I hope to love you better.

And I also hope to be renewed in a way that helps me love others better.

Because if I move through the world with a very clear understanding of the fact that my time is not only my own, then I think I make the most of it in the moments where it is my own.