The Morning After

Post Election Thoughts and Collages

I went to bed early on Election Day.

Over dinner, while anxiously watching the results on television, I kept hearing one thing repeatedly from the political analysts on the panel: Kamala was underperforming Biden’s numbers from 2020. This likely meant two things—those voters were either switching sides or sitting out the election altogether. Maybe, both. I had a sinking feeling it would be 2016 all over again. I closed my eyes, curled up under the covers, and felt a heavy pit in my stomach.

Sure enough, we woke up to the grim news that Kamala, the most qualified candidate, lost the election. A quote from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa came to mind:

Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without all three, we have no shared reality. We have no democracy.

Maria Ressa, Journalist
2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner

If you’re not familiar with Maria Ressa’s work standing up to a dictator or exposing the role social media has played in spreading disinformation and eroding the truth, I encourage you to listen to her talk here and watch the documentary, A Thousand Cuts.

After breakfast, I walked along the path overlooking the bay, still reeling from the fact that just over half of the electorate voted this former president for another four years, despite his atrocious character and track record. I sat on a bench for a long time, staring at the choppy waves, letting it sink in. A red flag warning had been issued for the coming days, signaling an increased fire risk due to warm temperatures, very low humidity, and stronger winds. How timely, I thought.

I kept walking, holding my cap in place as the wind picked up. If this incoming president acts on his threats of revenge against California, will he withdraw federal support when the next major wildfire hits? What about the next big earthquake? I shook my head, trying to pull myself back to the present and focus on enjoying the moment instead of worrying about the future.

It was a cloudless, sunny day, with a beautiful view of the city skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. I took several deep breaths, doing my best to take in the scene. I photographed a few trees, perhaps a reminder to stay resilient.

Two Trees. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

Self Portrait in front of a Tree. Photograph by Stella Kalaw

After lunch, I decided to put my iPhone away. Upstairs, in the bedroom, I began flipping through old magazines, tearing and cutting out random pages. With current events still fresh on my mind, I weaved pieces together without second guessing myself, following my instincts wherever it took me. That afternoon, I created seven. The following day, I made nine more–I was on a roll. Not all of them fit in this newsletter but here are some that I thought turned out well.

The Orbit of Disinformation. Analog/Digital Collage by Stella Kalaw

Disinformation Bubble. Analog Collage by Stella Kalaw

It’s Only a Matter of Time. Analog Collage by Stella Kalaw

Turning Back. Analog Collage by Stella Kalaw

The Great Divide. Analog Collage by Stella Kalaw

Prison. Analog Collage by Stella Kalaw

Archive 58. Analog Collage by Stella Kalaw

I am still grappling with what lies ahead as a consequence of this election: more of our rights will continue to erode as the president-elect will appoint two more conservative judges to the Supreme Court effectively setting the country back for decades, and corporate America and Social Media tech giants will push further to dismantle the guardrails that will keep them in check. And by the way, the stock markets rose to record levels the day after the election.

The world will be watching America’s next moves and how this incoming president will navigate conflicts and manage our alliances. World peace hangs in the balance when an unstable, erratic and incoherent leader will be making these tough choices and decisions. The global ramifications could be devastating.

I will understand if some of you dear readers unsubscribe to my newsletter because of what I wrote here. And, for those of you who remain, thank you so much for sticking with me! It just didn’t feel right to remain silent when something of this magnitude happens.

I’d like to close with this heartfelt poem by

Maggie Smith

.

A Poem for This Day

How Dark the Beginning

All we ever talk of is light—
let there be light, there was light then,

good light—but what I consider
dawn is darker than all that.

So many hours between the day
receding and what we recognize

as morning, the sun cresting
like a wave that won’t break

over us—as if  light were protective,
as if  no hearts were flayed,

no bodies broken on a day
like today. In any film,

the sunrise tells us everything
will be all right. Danger wouldn’t

dare show up now, dragging
its shadow across the screen.

We talk so much of  light, please
let me speak on behalf

of  the good dark. Let us
talk more of how dark

the beginning of a day is.

And, another quote from Maria Ressa from her 2023 Nobel Prize Summit presentation called Hope has a Plan:

Inspiration—big or small—matters more than ever. I’ll continue to do my part, sharing inspiration through my photographs, collages, and writing. Call me a hope junkie, but as Elie Wiesel said, “When there seems to be no hope, there is at least a quest for hope—and that quest itself is strong enough.”

See you all next Sunday.

Thank you for inviting me to join you every Sunday in your inbox. I am grateful and appreciative for spending a small part of your day with me. If you have the means to support Sundays with Stella, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Those who contribute financially will ensure that this place of inspiration, creativity, and meaning remains free and open to all.

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