
Lindsay S. Wheeler
Reverse It.
This is a "reverse poem" in which the words read top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top. It was challenging to write, stylistically. But with the challenges we face today, I found that the most difficult part was meeting my goal of having it be more hopeful bottom-to-top.
Reverse It.
There is hope
But
We can’t always see it
Through the veins of human apathy:
Hate spreads like fire
Isn’t it wild?
How beautiful our world is
So much good still binds us
Love is the most powerful weapon
And
Our affliction has a cure
Make no mistake, though,
Tension is nurtured by homebrewed hate
And
Neglecting your part in this epidemic
You feel compelled to shut it off
The minute the news breaks
But
Detachment is active participation
Why must guns always win
When evil and courage collide
Throwing your hands up isn’t enough anymore
The L train is not safe for everyone
Don’t let ignorance blind you
Even punching bags implode
And
Though new wounds may heal
Scars can’t simply be erased
The “American Dream” or a Ponzi scheme?
Shiny on the outside
But
Rigged once you buy in
Is it diversity or division that makes this America?
With power to transform
We are the sole actors in this story
Our world will never be perfect
But
Whatever your politics,
You aren't exempt,
And
Things can't stay this bad
The human potential we haven’t lived up to
Enables us to be mere products of
The culture of hate in which we are immersed
Reverse it.
In 100 years you will long be forgotten
And
Your silence will bury you
Without a story
Your grandkid would want to tell
An account
Of when you fought for something real
To craft your own story
To use, not abuse, constructive friction
Is
A privilege you have
--
The choice is yours
Challenge structural oppression
Or
Passively observe
We owe more to our world
And
Respect is a human right
But
Empathy is a dying virtue
It is undeniable that
Only as strong as our weakest link
Systemic hate immobilizes us
49 humans were slaughtered because they were gay
After
Pastor Roger Jimenez
Said
They were “disgusting”
--
We are all somebody’s babies
Change must be a part of our future
However
When much of the hate comes from people who look like me
It’s hard to confront past wrongs
And still these destructive acts go unchanged
As you read this
Suicide is a leading cause of death
While politicians fly confederate flags
Human beings are forced into the confines of a label
Leading some to feel unsafe in their skin
The privilege of whiteness
Of a glorified standard of beauty
Unachievable expectations
Go unchallenged
And still
Many subsist on ignorance
Afforded by privilege
Though
The presence of racism is indisputable
Everywhere we go
Women are reduced to voiceless objects
Each of us a bull’s eye in another’s quest for power
But
I come from a time and place where this wasn’t talked about
And
I can’t change that alone
Though I wish I could
A trans woman was shot in the face last week in Indiana. I never saw her picture
Meanwhile
We are infiltrated with the names and faces of murder
Brock Turner only got 3 months
For his "20 minutes of action"
How can it be:
If “love is love is love is love”
Why is hate so repetitive?
The victims won’t come back
From the 250 mass shootings in the U.S. this year
We’ve made closure obsolete
If
Families can never be revived
A hashtag can’t bridge the widening divide between us
There are things we should scream in crowded rooms
But
We are averse to attention that isn’t positive.
--
Have some heart
And
Stop filtering your inner malice
for the sake of “political correctness”
It shouldn’t take effort to say what’s right
But
We choose violence
Or
We sit idly
Afraid to expose how we really feel,
We use ammunition
Instead of words
Now
But
The ideas of MLK are still preached today
Because language is a powerful device
And
53 years ago
He had a dream that changed the world.
Yet the racism endured
MLK was only 39 when he was murdered
But
We can’t reverse it.
--
We are resistant to change
When it demands culpability
But
Personal agency is a pillar of revolution
And
We can move mountains if we have it
Write me a story rooted in hope
But still
Please stop neglecting the sad reality
This is all of our own accord
Reverse It.
#poetry #poem #reversepoem #depression #mentalillness #bipolardisorder #mentalhealth #writing #selfdestruction #hardship