At times
if not most times
it is called tradition
and in reality it is uniquely empty…..
A desire to conform
passed on in the image of assimilation
fuels economies of security and an identity
that is connected to multiple faces
to defend a lifestyle without which
it has no meaning.
I sit here
and begin to think of all
of the sadness and misfortunes
that life has allowed this child
to see, feel, and understand…
A girl
will not be able to have a child
she does not know this yet
but
the choice of having or not having
will no longer be with her
A man
that can no longer see
the connections between his
actions, ideas, beliefs and his relationships…
leaving him in a continual state of
anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness- all in one.
Not knowing or forgetting why this is so-
he drinks and fills himself until everything
seems fine and makes sense to him
A boy
that was raised by his grandma
and from her he learned to love
but
he also learned how to be a racist
and-now
now that she has passed away
he is left in the forest by himself
struggling to get out
not because he doesn’t possess the tools
he needs but because he lacks the skills
to recognize these tools…
so he wanders and wanders
only to wonder why he wanders…
A man and a woman
that cannot acknowledge the role
that each of them had in the corruption
and destruction of their relationship-
their marriage…
always reminding their children
that the fault was in the hands of the other
These misfortunes
and events are the ones
that I speak of at this moment
because they are the ones that are
most fresh in my mind
it is not out of preference
it is simply something that has
been written on the surface of my heart
These experiences
have become a part of me
and continue to do so
in one form or another.
Time and time again
I begin to see why life is beautiful
which makes me think and ask myself,
“will I still see the beauty in life as I grow into an adult?”
At this moment
all that I want to say is yes.
And
if this is not so
then the me I know
died the moment
you-
stranger
read this and believed
that I was a fool
for thinking such a thing….
But
I hope that when you-I read this-
you have become a better person
than the one you were while you
were writing this……
- Neomiy