I have a few questions

* I have a few questions . . . *

When did our body politic
become so fragile
that any statement of disagreement
is received
as a personal attack
on our identities?

When did we learn
to focus all our thinking
on formulating defensive responses
so that our moral positions
feel protected
and our egos feel affirmed,
if not lauded?

Is a 30-second elevator speech
laced with adjectives
advertising me
a worthy paean
to this heart that falters
this mind that questions
this body that cannot
fit into a mold
with the non-conforming parts
excised?

Dishonesty is not so far
from honesty
They share expanding edges
that we no longer recognize
nor can contain
It is the things
we tell ourselves
that pacify us
When all colors
soak into neighboring colors
no matter the forces
that roil them
the result is mud.

Lelanda Lee, 1-24-17