They seem to only admire
What other people like,
As if the only element
That lends authenticity
To any effort is
The approval of
Someone, anyone, else.
Roaming together,
Looking to each other
For confirmation.
Uninspired people huddling
Together for collective
Reassurance, afraid to
Be anything other than
What the prevailing
Decree of the day
Happens to be,
Repeating all the
Same phrases, parroting
Approved sayings,
Purposelessly fitting in,
Melding into insipidness.
They all gravitate
Toward identical things,
Secure in their sameness,
Unable to understand
The wonderful diversity
Just beyond their perception,
Content to remain
Where they are.
Do this,
Do that,
It has to be done
This way,
That way,
The way I say,
How it’s always been
Or has randomly developed
Through years of people
Scrambling to hang on to
Power and prestige
At the expense of
Everything else,
Rules smothering
Passion, creativity, life.
No thank you.
There are many occasions
When she wonders whether
What she just did is
What she should have done
And whether it will
In some way reflect poorly
On her decision-making
Ability or will just fade
Into obscurity until,
At some indeterminate time
In the future, it reappears
To remind her of
What she didn’t
Realize at the time.
He remembers vividly
The moment he realized
That all they cared
About was themselves
And all they really did
In life was exist from
Day to day, desperately
Trying to avoid the
Hurts from their past
And oozing their pain onto
Anyone in the vicinity.
They look at him
In horror, disgust.
He doesn’t fit the mold,
Isn’t like them.
Discomfort caused by
Unfamiliarity.
Stultifying averageness,
Stay in the lines.
Lack of internal insight,
Loss of perspective.
Remain the same
At all costs.
Beheading
Extraordinary flowers.
She walks the other way,
Even though she recognizes
Him from a distance,
Some things are better
Left unaddressed rather
Than reanimated, causing
Further discomfort and pain.
It’s not so much that she
Can’t handle it but, rather,
That it’s not worth
Expending the energy on
To resolve in any way.
Her life different now,
No need to revisit.
Most would rather
Do anything other than
Look inside,
Guaranteeing stasis,
Choosing being stuck,
Unaware,
Hopeless,
Over reliving the pain
In order to heal it,
Joining the herd
That never experiences
Greener pastures.
