The poem reads as follows:

“Rejoice! Our times are intolerable. Take courage, for the worst is a harbinger of the best. Only dire circumstance can precipitate the overthrow of oppressors. The old and corrupt must be laid to waste before the just can triumph. Contradiction will be heightened. The reckoning will be hastened by the staging of seed disturbances. The apocalypse will blossom”.

Holzer, from whose Inflammatory Essays the piece is taken from, is best known for her bold text-based pieces, many of which are delivered in public spaces. Some of her most famous works include phrases (which she refers to as ‘truisms’) placed on cinema marquees, on billboards and on illuminated electronic displays. Holzer also describes her work as having a focus on “the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces”, making Lorde’s statement even more apt.

Lorde wore a feminist essay on her Grammys dress