The System is Working as Intended

Today I tried to do the right things
I had great intentions
Everything I did just made it worse
Not just for me
For the people around me
I need to disappear
In order to be successful in this world

I must make myself small
So I can fit into the Box
Be quiet and unheard
My words are thunder steps
Sidewalk cracks of lightning
Crumbling into patches
Of hardscrabble and dying weeds
If I pull myself into the Box
I won’t hurt anybody ever again
I’ll learn how to mask again

Because you said
The system is working as intended
Growth opportunities are
Only for those who follow the rules
There isn’t time to waste
On individual moments of humanness
If you aren’t in the room
The decision won’t impact you
Why would I keep hurting myself
To battle a system that is harming you?

Maybe this is the divergence after all
My body turns sharp objects
into weapons it uses against me
My mouth turns my thoughts
into weapons to betray me
You said my tone was accusatory
You said my attitude is inflexible
I made the mistake of speaking
I could not keep my stormy voice
From echoing with the injustice
You didn’t want to see

If I’m quiet, you can stay in your box too
We can hide as the world tears itself apart
Clawing back centuries of growth and love and learning
Sustaining the liars by feeding them
The last shredded moments of truth and kindness
Give them the last parched weed
Torn from the broken concrete

Photo by Becca Lavin on Unsplash