I am no poet. Obviously. But, an op-ed detailing how I feel the exchange of politics and individual’s character does not seem right. I am sorry, sincerely sorry, for any harm a political conversation has caused you. I am sorry if anyone has ever made you feel like you were lesser of an individual for speaking up. None of that is productive, efficient, nor right. However, I urge you to separate the person with the opinion. I know that seems like an insurmountable task, but without doing you, we tend to broadly label individuals as identifies they don’t associate with, agree with, and may have actively fought against. Without understanding the person at their core, we become more polarized. That’s not going to achieve anything. Ever. So, without any ado, I present the poem below. It can be read end to start, and start to end. Full circle.
I will always speak up from a voice in the choir.
Unapologetically loud, yet still fearful the backlash.
The string of letters sling mud around.
Scarring comments, vicious in their yielding.
Like a sword swung on a battle-ground.
Is this what we have come to?
The addition of personal opinions as facts.
Enables politics to equate with personal beings.
Enables souls to be questions for one wrong move.
Enables motivations to be scrutinized for one disagreement.
One and the other intertwined.
Like a lacklust marriage that pushes each other.
For better or worse.
Til death do we part.
I take you as my forever partner.
For the hope of a happy future.
One with love and positivity.
Even with a disagreement.
We will always love one another.
See past our opinions and focus on the being.
Your soul you care so deeply for.
The souls that feel pushed by the barriers of politics.
Itching to reunite with one another.
Crying out across the rocky seas.
We will always speak up from a lone voice.
From the end to start.
We’re going in a circle.