Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Poetry Project, V.9.0, Days 10 and 11

And here we go - it seems once the two-fer thing starts, it's hard to get back on track with getting back to every day!  Well, here's hoping this might be the last two-fer!

What gets me going today is "perspective."  You know, that whole "it's how you look at it" thing, like answering the question, "Is the glass half-full or half- empty?"  In this ever-more turbulent time, it's easy to get lost in perspective, and forget that simply because we look at things one way, that way is a) not necessarily correct and b) not necessarily shared by others.  There's a tricky option, too: c) others who express opinions differing from ours are not necessarily wrong.  It's a tough line to find, let alone hold to, sometimes.   In this electronic age, it's sometimes even more difficult. Where do we draw the line?  How do discuss a point effectively without getting absorbed in the passions of ideological differences?  More than that, how do we do it without angering people to the point where relationships suffer?

The Cool Kids

the cool kids used to say
it was ok to call people
whatever you wanted.
if they could handle it,
they would be fine,
it would make them tough.
parents told kids to keep
the stiff upper lip
and let it all wash off you
it didn't matter
it was only a phase.
let it go.
i told myself,
never let them see they
got to you,
hurt you,
scarred you,
tore you down,
beat you up,
using fists they could not see
and did not know they had.

but the cool kids grew up,
and now they say
words hurt.
they're still the bullies,
but now they're trying to do it by being nice.
it's pretend,
false,
fake and pretentious,
they don't really care,
as long as you do what they say,
because they're the cool kids.


Words We Can't Say

don't say the r-word
don't call him the p-word
the s-word
the f-word (no, not that one, the other)
she's not the b-word,
and if she is, you can't call her that,
they aren't "special"
or "slow"
or "differently-abled"
they are now a diagnosis from the DSM,
don't put a label on others,
don't put anyone down,
no one is better,
no one is worse.

and it would sound good,
and make sense,
if it were not for the warning
about what happens when
your words are taken from you
and you're forced to live by
a set of rules
you don't understand,
that make no sense,
except to those who make the rules.



A little heavier today, almost some slam-style poetry, I guess.  Wasn't sure what I would get, but then, there we are!!

As always,

Thanks for reading,

Me

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