Here are the contradictions
Flitting from eye to eye in the bathroom mirror
Stare them down until they flutter
Until they inch back under my skin
Stare them down until another day
The contradictions flare again
I know what I’m doing
The most powerful mantra I can conjure
One flaming sword against an army of
‘You don’t know what you’re doing at all’
I wield it with a two-handed grip
Defenses open, when the blows land I slip
And look up from the mud at the masses
I know what I’m doing, I know what I’m doing
Courage and Connection
Values I highlight from a page in a book
Is this bravery? This ignorance?
Is this courage? Not having any answer?
Is this what connection means to me
A childish hatred that people leave
That the world will never stand still
And breathe in the golden gratitude
My contradictions dance
If I tell you who I want to be
Will you keep the secret?
Braver than this.