Start.
Stop.
Second-guess.
Fret.
Start again.
Stop again.
Think about it some more.
Worry some.
Start.
Falter.
Fade.
It never goes away,
The speculation about
What might have been,
Whether she made the
Right decisions or
Prematurely caved in
For comfort or safety
Rather than courageously
Embracing uneasiness,
Believing in herself,
Discovering who she is,
Living with courage
Instead of trepidation.
Cowards assembling in groups
Intended to intimidate the
Already voiceless and powerless,
Promoting cruel beliefs
Steeped in fictitious phobias
Arising from profound insecurity,
A grim posse hunting down
It’s next victim,
Anyone who doesn’t conform
To their warped sense of entitlement.
They smile at each other,
Feeling big and strong for this brief moment.
Prerequisites,
Restrictions,
Expectations,
Conformity.
Be like us,
Embrace our culture,
Don’t deviate from the norm,
Love all the same things,
Swear allegiance,
Adhere to the rules.
Destroy subversives,
Kill free thought,
Denigrate diversity,
Eradicate critical thinking.
A lovely stroll down
The primrose path to fascism.
There is something
Unsettling about
How he looks at people,
A distant, empty gaze
Betraying someone who
Isn’t feeling all that
Settled inside but is
Trying to project
Self-assurance.
He goes about his
Business as if nothing
Is wrong, projecting
Copious confidence until
He inevitably detonates.
The broken
Following
The broken.
The hurt
Venerating
The hurt.
The damaged
Exalting
The damaged.
Though he had often
Heard that one is
Supposed to be oneself
And pursue one’s dreams,
The messages rattling
Around in his head
Kept him from doing
What he really loved,
Settling instead on
A pale imitation of living.
Never back down,
Refuse to cede ground,
It’s up to you to fight
For what’s right.
Defend your weakness
With copious bluster,
Don’t let them see
You have no idea
What you’re talking about,
And never have.
It was the saddest thing to see
Her go. Consumed by rancor and
Antipathy, disfigured by forces she
Couldn’t resist, tempted by promises
Of power, control, safety, dominance,
A return to panacea, a premised land.
Writhing uncontrollably, harsh voice
Feigning certainty, hands clenched,
Eyes staring blindly, ferociously.
The fire of abandoned reason, inability
To acknowledge reality unretouched,
Capitulation to fear complete.
