"Diverge"

This poem was written behind a mask, waiting at a receptionist desk. It was a particularly difficult day, and I was on the verge of a burnout. It had been my goal to fill a journal full with my handwriting and the time almost seemed to mock and berate me. I wrote regardless.

Plastered smiles

Indiscreet back and forths

Common niceties exchanged without thought. Routine is a constant collision of items to achieve in a single stretch of daylight.

Time struts its smug stride, boasting how it always gets what it wants. Humans conform to the endless ticking of metal hands. There’s never enough time, care, thought, affection in the lifetime we are given. To get such blessings, it’s a requirement to be resilient.

You must smile and pretend everything is decent. Working diligently is never second guessed. Valuing responsibility and punctuality are what will ensure your climb to eventual triumph. Shading outside the lines of expectancy is known as the greatest betrayal. Depend on the society who raised you. It's aware of all the opportunities and all the consequences. You shudder under the weight you never expected to be thrust upon your tired shoulders. Bubble gum, flowers, and unicorns all conceal a deeper recollection that falls silent after being constricted by the noise that doesn’t stop ringing: being overpowered is a consistent, exhausting battle of deciphering and depicting true advocacy.

Confront what terrifies your heart and tests your mind. Amidst the consistent fog shadowing what is truly enamoring and enticing about life, venture not for accomplishment, but for fulfillment.