Start a conversation with anyone today, stranger, friend, or even a family member, and within sixty seconds you could be in the midst of a full-on shouting match, or worse. Angst seems to be the first response to any situation where the slightest conflict is evident. “I hate (fill in your favorite target here)” is the initial response and often the only response you receive to what may be a simple query. So, I thought the topic of anger might be a suitable focus for my second attempt at serious poetry. What follows is that piece which was read at an open mic night at Lakefly Writer’s Conference this past month.
Today's Ire
Anger, insufficient.
Hate, better.
Rage, closer.
Blind rage, yes that’s it!
Completely debilitating.
Ability to listen, lost.
Common sense, vanishes.
Topics, limited to right or wrong.
High school football debates become yelling matches.
Neighbor’s landscape projects end in restraining orders.
Holiday celebrations devolve into splintered families and changed wills.
Where does your rage come from?
Lies, media driven by profits,
Rhetoric, politicians narrate to retain power,
Misinformation, narrative over truth.
Ideology, social acceptance.
Is your rage worth the cost?
No information source is trustworthy,
Paranoia drives intention,
Violence for violence’s sake,
Isolation from relationships.
When will it end?
Think critically, who benefits from your rage?
Remove the blinders, question sources before accepting them.
Release the rage.
Give grace.
Tales From The Hare 