Jaci Turner
@scienematters.bsky.social
Commentary and poems of hope, courage & kindness and children’s author. ✍️ Follow to stay connected & see new work each week.
In Broad Daylight
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t the darkness that frightens me.
We’ve always known how to name the dark.
It’s what’s done
with the lights on—
voices calm,
papers signed,
as if harm were just another administrative act.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t the darkness that frightens me.
We’ve always known how to name the dark.
It’s what’s done
with the lights on—
voices calm,
papers signed,
as if harm were just another administrative act.
🧵
January 2, 2026 at 6:52 PM
In Broad Daylight
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t the darkness that frightens me.
We’ve always known how to name the dark.
It’s what’s done
with the lights on—
voices calm,
papers signed,
as if harm were just another administrative act.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t the darkness that frightens me.
We’ve always known how to name the dark.
It’s what’s done
with the lights on—
voices calm,
papers signed,
as if harm were just another administrative act.
🧵
Is there still a constituency inside the Republican Party that values the Constitution more than a man?
December 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Is there still a constituency inside the Republican Party that values the Constitution more than a man?
Spin can keep you airborne for a while.
Eventually, gravity wins.
Eventually, gravity wins.
December 24, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Spin can keep you airborne for a while.
Eventually, gravity wins.
Eventually, gravity wins.
Why are all of the Republicans in congress so quiet right now?
If the Epstein files hadn’t been promised—repeatedly—as a show of truth and accountability, delay wouldn’t look like evasion.
If the Epstein files hadn’t been promised—repeatedly—as a show of truth and accountability, delay wouldn’t look like evasion.
December 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Why are all of the Republicans in congress so quiet right now?
If the Epstein files hadn’t been promised—repeatedly—as a show of truth and accountability, delay wouldn’t look like evasion.
If the Epstein files hadn’t been promised—repeatedly—as a show of truth and accountability, delay wouldn’t look like evasion.
Loyalty Test
by Jaci Turner
They don’t ask what’s right or what is true,
They ask whose side you’re loyal to.
A question raised, a doubt expressed,
Is measured not by facts, but by a test.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
They don’t ask what’s right or what is true,
They ask whose side you’re loyal to.
A question raised, a doubt expressed,
Is measured not by facts, but by a test.
🧵
December 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Loyalty Test
by Jaci Turner
They don’t ask what’s right or what is true,
They ask whose side you’re loyal to.
A question raised, a doubt expressed,
Is measured not by facts, but by a test.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
They don’t ask what’s right or what is true,
They ask whose side you’re loyal to.
A question raised, a doubt expressed,
Is measured not by facts, but by a test.
🧵
Guardrails
by Jaci Turner
Democracy doesn’t fail
because someone breaks the law.
It fails when the law is still there
but no longer heavier than power.
It fails when enforcement learns to look up
before it looks at the facts,
🧵
by Jaci Turner
Democracy doesn’t fail
because someone breaks the law.
It fails when the law is still there
but no longer heavier than power.
It fails when enforcement learns to look up
before it looks at the facts,
🧵
December 23, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Guardrails
by Jaci Turner
Democracy doesn’t fail
because someone breaks the law.
It fails when the law is still there
but no longer heavier than power.
It fails when enforcement learns to look up
before it looks at the facts,
🧵
by Jaci Turner
Democracy doesn’t fail
because someone breaks the law.
It fails when the law is still there
but no longer heavier than power.
It fails when enforcement learns to look up
before it looks at the facts,
🧵
When companies fear government pressure more than market forces, that’s not capitalism.
When law bends to loyalty, that’s not democracy.
Hope lives in still naming the difference.
When law bends to loyalty, that’s not democracy.
Hope lives in still naming the difference.
December 23, 2025 at 7:21 PM
When companies fear government pressure more than market forces, that’s not capitalism.
When law bends to loyalty, that’s not democracy.
Hope lives in still naming the difference.
When law bends to loyalty, that’s not democracy.
Hope lives in still naming the difference.
When the Press Forgets to Press
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t only the story
that keeps changing—
it’s the silence
that gathers around each draft.
Every day brings
a new explanation,
stacked over the last
like pages you’re not meant
to reread.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t only the story
that keeps changing—
it’s the silence
that gathers around each draft.
Every day brings
a new explanation,
stacked over the last
like pages you’re not meant
to reread.
🧵
December 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
When the Press Forgets to Press
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t only the story
that keeps changing—
it’s the silence
that gathers around each draft.
Every day brings
a new explanation,
stacked over the last
like pages you’re not meant
to reread.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
It isn’t only the story
that keeps changing—
it’s the silence
that gathers around each draft.
Every day brings
a new explanation,
stacked over the last
like pages you’re not meant
to reread.
🧵
A Thanksgiving Poem for America
by Jaci Turner
Today we bow our heads—not in certainty,
but in recognition of how fragile a country is
when truth is contested
and courage is optional.
We remember Washington’s plea
for a government “wise, just, and faithful,”
🧵
by Jaci Turner
Today we bow our heads—not in certainty,
but in recognition of how fragile a country is
when truth is contested
and courage is optional.
We remember Washington’s plea
for a government “wise, just, and faithful,”
🧵
November 27, 2025 at 2:29 PM
A Thanksgiving Poem for America
by Jaci Turner
Today we bow our heads—not in certainty,
but in recognition of how fragile a country is
when truth is contested
and courage is optional.
We remember Washington’s plea
for a government “wise, just, and faithful,”
🧵
by Jaci Turner
Today we bow our heads—not in certainty,
but in recognition of how fragile a country is
when truth is contested
and courage is optional.
We remember Washington’s plea
for a government “wise, just, and faithful,”
🧵
The Ledger That Breathes
by Jaci Turner
There are stories we tell in daylight,
and stories that live in the seams —
the ones stitched together
with wiring and wire transfers,
signed in the quiet language of banks.
Some men build fortunes so large
they blot out the sky,
🧵
by Jaci Turner
There are stories we tell in daylight,
and stories that live in the seams —
the ones stitched together
with wiring and wire transfers,
signed in the quiet language of banks.
Some men build fortunes so large
they blot out the sky,
🧵
November 24, 2025 at 1:07 AM
The Ledger That Breathes
by Jaci Turner
There are stories we tell in daylight,
and stories that live in the seams —
the ones stitched together
with wiring and wire transfers,
signed in the quiet language of banks.
Some men build fortunes so large
they blot out the sky,
🧵
by Jaci Turner
There are stories we tell in daylight,
and stories that live in the seams —
the ones stitched together
with wiring and wire transfers,
signed in the quiet language of banks.
Some men build fortunes so large
they blot out the sky,
🧵
The Last to Speak
by Jaci Turner
Some truths arrive early—
in the quiet hearts of people
who feel the shift in the room
before anyone else names it.
We heard it in his voice,
the way a storm tells its own future
by the shape of the wind.
Nothing hidden.
Nothing coy.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
Some truths arrive early—
in the quiet hearts of people
who feel the shift in the room
before anyone else names it.
We heard it in his voice,
the way a storm tells its own future
by the shape of the wind.
Nothing hidden.
Nothing coy.
🧵
November 17, 2025 at 3:40 PM
The Last to Speak
by Jaci Turner
Some truths arrive early—
in the quiet hearts of people
who feel the shift in the room
before anyone else names it.
We heard it in his voice,
the way a storm tells its own future
by the shape of the wind.
Nothing hidden.
Nothing coy.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
Some truths arrive early—
in the quiet hearts of people
who feel the shift in the room
before anyone else names it.
We heard it in his voice,
the way a storm tells its own future
by the shape of the wind.
Nothing hidden.
Nothing coy.
🧵
Two Economies
by Jaci Turner
There are two economies in this country,
though we pretend there is only one.
One lives on television screens—
all arrows green and climbing,
a chorus of smiling anchors
calling it a boom,
a miracle,
the best we’ve ever had.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
There are two economies in this country,
though we pretend there is only one.
One lives on television screens—
all arrows green and climbing,
a chorus of smiling anchors
calling it a boom,
a miracle,
the best we’ve ever had.
🧵
November 16, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Two Economies
by Jaci Turner
There are two economies in this country,
though we pretend there is only one.
One lives on television screens—
all arrows green and climbing,
a chorus of smiling anchors
calling it a boom,
a miracle,
the best we’ve ever had.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
There are two economies in this country,
though we pretend there is only one.
One lives on television screens—
all arrows green and climbing,
a chorus of smiling anchors
calling it a boom,
a miracle,
the best we’ve ever had.
🧵
The House Was Never Meant to Shine Like This
by Jaci Turner
I walk through rooms I’ve never been in,
but I know them.
I know the hush of the walls,
the portraits that watch
with the slow patience of history,
the way light falls differently
on places meant for service
instead of spectacle.
by Jaci Turner
I walk through rooms I’ve never been in,
but I know them.
I know the hush of the walls,
the portraits that watch
with the slow patience of history,
the way light falls differently
on places meant for service
instead of spectacle.
November 1, 2025 at 2:25 PM
The House Was Never Meant to Shine Like This
by Jaci Turner
I walk through rooms I’ve never been in,
but I know them.
I know the hush of the walls,
the portraits that watch
with the slow patience of history,
the way light falls differently
on places meant for service
instead of spectacle.
by Jaci Turner
I walk through rooms I’ve never been in,
but I know them.
I know the hush of the walls,
the portraits that watch
with the slow patience of history,
the way light falls differently
on places meant for service
instead of spectacle.
Voice and Flame
by Jaci Turner
I will not bow to walls of hate,
Nor let fear dictate our fate.
A land once rich in voice and skin,
Now fenced to keep the “other” in.
They speak of pride, but veil their dread,
Of cultures vast and truths they’ve shed.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
I will not bow to walls of hate,
Nor let fear dictate our fate.
A land once rich in voice and skin,
Now fenced to keep the “other” in.
They speak of pride, but veil their dread,
Of cultures vast and truths they’ve shed.
🧵
October 18, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Voice and Flame
by Jaci Turner
I will not bow to walls of hate,
Nor let fear dictate our fate.
A land once rich in voice and skin,
Now fenced to keep the “other” in.
They speak of pride, but veil their dread,
Of cultures vast and truths they’ve shed.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
I will not bow to walls of hate,
Nor let fear dictate our fate.
A land once rich in voice and skin,
Now fenced to keep the “other” in.
They speak of pride, but veil their dread,
Of cultures vast and truths they’ve shed.
🧵
Every generation has a moment when silence breaks. This might be ours — a chorus of voices reminding power who it truly serves.
October 17, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Every generation has a moment when silence breaks. This might be ours — a chorus of voices reminding power who it truly serves.
I just added, “Trump turns on his most trusted loyalists to blame for what can no longer be spun” to my Trump bingo card.
October 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM
I just added, “Trump turns on his most trusted loyalists to blame for what can no longer be spun” to my Trump bingo card.
The Gamers Took the Throne
by Jaci Turner
They mistook the world for a game to play,
Where truth could bend and rules decay.
They pressed their keys and pulled their strings,
And called their chaos “governing things.”
They mocked the minds who’d studied years,
🧵
by Jaci Turner
They mistook the world for a game to play,
Where truth could bend and rules decay.
They pressed their keys and pulled their strings,
And called their chaos “governing things.”
They mocked the minds who’d studied years,
🧵
October 17, 2025 at 12:35 PM
The Gamers Took the Throne
by Jaci Turner
They mistook the world for a game to play,
Where truth could bend and rules decay.
They pressed their keys and pulled their strings,
And called their chaos “governing things.”
They mocked the minds who’d studied years,
🧵
by Jaci Turner
They mistook the world for a game to play,
Where truth could bend and rules decay.
They pressed their keys and pulled their strings,
And called their chaos “governing things.”
They mocked the minds who’d studied years,
🧵
To Those Who Serve
by Jaci Turner for Dave
Tonight the nation holds its breath,
and you hold the weight of not knowing.
Will tomorrow bring work,
or silence,
or a notice that says you are no longer needed?
🧵
by Jaci Turner for Dave
Tonight the nation holds its breath,
and you hold the weight of not knowing.
Will tomorrow bring work,
or silence,
or a notice that says you are no longer needed?
🧵
October 1, 2025 at 1:43 AM
To Those Who Serve
by Jaci Turner for Dave
Tonight the nation holds its breath,
and you hold the weight of not knowing.
Will tomorrow bring work,
or silence,
or a notice that says you are no longer needed?
🧵
by Jaci Turner for Dave
Tonight the nation holds its breath,
and you hold the weight of not knowing.
Will tomorrow bring work,
or silence,
or a notice that says you are no longer needed?
🧵
Echoes
by Jaci Turner
My parents spoke of it—
how fear could slip into the cracks
of a country’s voice,
how leaders could twist
what was sacred
into something sharp.
I thought their stories were warnings,
chapters safely pressed
between the pages of history.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
My parents spoke of it—
how fear could slip into the cracks
of a country’s voice,
how leaders could twist
what was sacred
into something sharp.
I thought their stories were warnings,
chapters safely pressed
between the pages of history.
🧵
September 27, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Echoes
by Jaci Turner
My parents spoke of it—
how fear could slip into the cracks
of a country’s voice,
how leaders could twist
what was sacred
into something sharp.
I thought their stories were warnings,
chapters safely pressed
between the pages of history.
🧵
by Jaci Turner
My parents spoke of it—
how fear could slip into the cracks
of a country’s voice,
how leaders could twist
what was sacred
into something sharp.
I thought their stories were warnings,
chapters safely pressed
between the pages of history.
🧵
The archives betrayed a congresswoman—
her unredacted life released
into rival hands,
her service, her secrets,
scattered like torn pages
in a wind of backlash.
Exposed in the name of
political gain.
her unredacted life released
into rival hands,
her service, her secrets,
scattered like torn pages
in a wind of backlash.
Exposed in the name of
political gain.
September 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The archives betrayed a congresswoman—
her unredacted life released
into rival hands,
her service, her secrets,
scattered like torn pages
in a wind of backlash.
Exposed in the name of
political gain.
her unredacted life released
into rival hands,
her service, her secrets,
scattered like torn pages
in a wind of backlash.
Exposed in the name of
political gain.
This isn’t about policy, it’s about projection. He’s manufacturing blame for the shutdown he demanded, hoping people forget his collapsing economy, plummeting polls, and the shadow of the Epstein files.
The louder the deflection, the closer the truth.
The louder the deflection, the closer the truth.
September 25, 2025 at 3:28 PM
This isn’t about policy, it’s about projection. He’s manufacturing blame for the shutdown he demanded, hoping people forget his collapsing economy, plummeting polls, and the shadow of the Epstein files.
The louder the deflection, the closer the truth.
The louder the deflection, the closer the truth.
The Fragile Cannot Silence Us
by Jaci Turner
They tried to chain a joke,
to bind a laugh in red tape,
as if a punchline could topple
their paper-thin throne.
They told the press,
“Sign here before you speak.
Your words must pass through us
before they reach the page.”
🧵
by Jaci Turner
They tried to chain a joke,
to bind a laugh in red tape,
as if a punchline could topple
their paper-thin throne.
They told the press,
“Sign here before you speak.
Your words must pass through us
before they reach the page.”
🧵
September 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
The Fragile Cannot Silence Us
by Jaci Turner
They tried to chain a joke,
to bind a laugh in red tape,
as if a punchline could topple
their paper-thin throne.
They told the press,
“Sign here before you speak.
Your words must pass through us
before they reach the page.”
🧵
by Jaci Turner
They tried to chain a joke,
to bind a laugh in red tape,
as if a punchline could topple
their paper-thin throne.
They told the press,
“Sign here before you speak.
Your words must pass through us
before they reach the page.”
🧵
That’s a curse disguised as prayer.
True prayer seeks healing, wisdom, and courage — never death. Our democracy, and our humanity, depend on rejecting this poison and choosing a faith that builds bridges, not graves.
True prayer seeks healing, wisdom, and courage — never death. Our democracy, and our humanity, depend on rejecting this poison and choosing a faith that builds bridges, not graves.
Charlie Kirk nodding and said, “That’s right” when one of his TPUSA Faith pastors instructed his audience to pray for nonpolitical pastors “to get right or get dead.”
September 21, 2025 at 1:11 PM
That’s a curse disguised as prayer.
True prayer seeks healing, wisdom, and courage — never death. Our democracy, and our humanity, depend on rejecting this poison and choosing a faith that builds bridges, not graves.
True prayer seeks healing, wisdom, and courage — never death. Our democracy, and our humanity, depend on rejecting this poison and choosing a faith that builds bridges, not graves.
Unity isn’t about erasing differences — it’s about refusing to let those differences be weaponized against us.
September 16, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Unity isn’t about erasing differences — it’s about refusing to let those differences be weaponized against us.