Poem - By The Bushel

[kokopelle]

A meme about Roy Moore’s labeling as a pedophile got me thinking about labels. Some people think Roy is a religious defender, the Right’s version of a social justice warrior. Roy’s anti-abortion attacks and pro-religion sentiments outweigh his past predilections for underage partners and his rampant demagoguery. It can be argued that all of these labels are applicable to some degree. Some would be embraced by Roy. He would reject others. “By The Bushel” is about the labels that are accepted and rejected.


By The Bushel

I’ve got labels by the bushel
stacked on shelves for your usage
if you want to box me in
for good or bad, this is allowed

identity comes with words
objective fact is the attempt
failing wholly when applied
the subjective is then the norm

there are some I fully own
embraced because they are my soul
identity comes from certitude
who I am in how I feel

though the public may not approve
still I hold onto these truths
I’ll not show them all the time
waiting for the place to shine

then there are the ones I fight
the most sad come from a group
my membership will then dictate
who I am by presumption

stamps applied for traits I shun
these I fight by example
clarifying beyond the stain
exceptions made to hypothesis

in the end the two are mixed
what I want and what I dread
creating labels people use
to define how they see me

I’ll learn to cope with this blend
keep close to chest the ones I am
while fighting off the unfair brush
for good or bad, the public stamps

© 2017. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved. 20171215.