One's poetic ability, yea willingness, to speak
Truth.
To stand, soul-naked, as it were...
Whilst your poet enemies stone you or avoid
you in the online public square.
To swim with the sharks, though thou
might be their delicious repast.
To be be happily avoided because you
don't follow the crowd.
You won't bow and scrape and sell your
soul nor your country out, no how!
In this battlefield of ideas, the small of
mind will shame you.
Brandish your sword of courage,in full
view!
A stalwart poem with three hundred reads and
comments, but two?
Shows that popularity trumps truth here,
So much so, I want to permanently vanish!
Or have 38,000 poets here to the famed,
"isle of Denial" be heretofore, banished!
~~~~~~
July 13, 2020
10:30 pm PST
I used to make fun
of those women that mama
their men, the ones that
hold them up to their ****
like they know how to do
more there than just suckle.
Yet, here I am
shouting instructions at you
on how to save me.
I am giving up.
I'm done with flailing, and
fighting my way
back to the surface.
Don't offer me your hand.
Even saying you love me
as I'm drowning
would mean you give too much.
I won't ask that of you.
Your body used to be an anchor,
but now I believe
you were always just
holding
me
down.
If 10 years wasn't enough,
I'm at a loss for what is.
It's easy to float, but
sinking requires no effort.
Besides,
you were never taught
to swim with the sharks
and we wouldn't want you
to get hurt now,
would we?
She says I ran off
In a white iron bird
When the voices
Started to crowd my head
I tell her it was
A little me trying to redeem
Me from the pages
Of my book
That I went trying to find
That girl who breathes
Colour into my paper
The one that isn’t afraid
To jump and shout
Loud unto nations
I told her many times
That I wanted to see
The beginning of a rainbow
I wasn’t going to wait for it to fade
This time, while I stand
Watching what could have been
But the way I got stubborn
I should have known…
I should have known it will all be
Sleepless nights and love given
That never got returned in kind
I should have known it meant that
I get to ride the bus alone
And I get to swim with the sharks
To shore
Where I thought the bird would take me
Was to sanctity and joy
But then again
Maybe, just maybe
If I had never left
I would have never known
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