reflections in the mirror
take perspective
give context
straight on i laugh
at an angle you got my back
straight on doubt
off to the side beauty
straight on grey hairs?
in front of me protection
behind me my love
one with me union
compassion reflected is a healing self love
in class today
professor had to leave
had to wash hands
to you know get the yuck off
it's been two years of pandemic
i cannot wash the yuck off my hands
when evil is done the blood is what cannot be washed off
some try to wash the "dirt" off to get hands more white
my hands are those of the while devil
i cannot clean the stain off of them
the sin cannot be removed
before class i heard Maya Angelou
on youtube talk about being seven
not speaking for five years afterwords
but reading so much reading
I can get my hands dirty
i can do the work
getting my hands dirty in attempting
to be... human
anti-racist
anti-misogynist
i can be loving
during class we discuss difficult literature
stories of women surviving
retellings of women not surviving
the treatment of men
the social norms enforced
later on the news
soldiers have held women
for twenty five days in a basement
nine of whom are pregnant now
i cannot wash my hands of this
it will take centuries of action to
cover the yuck i see on my hands
I too fear this failure
What I see is that your actions
Are unaligned with your expressed beliefs
I share this pain and experience it
I also see a greater pain
Caused by our cognitive dissonance
why am i here
i see pain and want to help
but why am i here
what is in this for me
a public pool would be nice
a shift from a community in perpetual war
to one of true commonwealth
that is common good
is good for me
i think i write most often when i am in pain - fragmented thoughts spit in anger - raw emotion channeled
I once was lost, blind
I once was conditioned
By our school system
And now I read and reflect
A hopeful guardian of the truth
In search of my humanity
It’s ugly
Vulgar
To express the feelings of
Hatred
One has towards another human
Violence may come
Like a child lashing out in pain
Like a protective instinct
And the most vile
Or most evil
Is when the violence is enjoyed
So which are you
The child
The victim
The Voldemort