Inevitable Consequences

Shadows and Light Poetry Contest - September 2022

Inevitable consequences
Happens continuously,
Why on earth did it
Happen to me? Forcing
Myself out of my comfort
Zone was something
I hadn't anticipated.

Dealing with people
Was hard for me;
I feared what they would say.
I knew that my words
Would be twisted around; but
How would I avoid an escalation
When I didn't want one?

Arguments are something that I don't like
But somehow they seem to get in my face.
By pushing my buttons, they know that
They can get a rise out of me; I feel
Uncomfortable; I don't like arguments in
The first place. Why must they keep on
Happening?

Minding my own business
When I'm out on the street,
I see things happen.
Finding myself walking
The other way is my way
Of trying to de-escalate
A potential attack on me.

After seeing someone get
Pepper-sprayed, I felt
Sorry for the victim; I didn't
Think that he did anything
Wrong. He got sprayed
Right in the eyes, and the
Pain that he was feeling
made me want to cry.

Inevitable consequences
Shouldn't be; there are
Reasons why this happens;
Compassion is the answer.

40 Lines


Written by Anna Marie Carlson
Saturday, September 24, 2022