what if instead of saying "how are you?" we asked: "what hurts?" what if we committed to the wound? what if we were honest? what if we asked all the politicians about their proposals to end loneliness? what if this is my policy agenda? what if i take the stage at the debate and just scream for my allotted time? what if the artists, the were our candidates? what if democracy felt like friendship, not fascism?

— Your Wound, My Garden by Alok Vaid-Menon