Is it inevitable? The way it must go;
Good people, Great people,
Giving in to
Thoughts dark, Thoughts evil,
That I’m so fearful,
Will one day be mine.

Ill will and hard feelings;
Are we fighting fate?
Armed with blind eyes,
And deaf ears,
Maybe we can pretend,
Not to hear,
The warning bells.
Because nothing has changed.
We’re not dealing;
We’re only lying to ourselves,
With our feelings.

Is it inevitable? To keep falling,
Past love
Into hate, Into resentment,
Because of something they can’t change.
Is it vain to blame others for the impossible?
Who’s responsible for what has to be?

Ill will and hard feelings;
Are we fighting fate?
Armed with blind eyes,
And deaf ears,
Maybe we can pretend,
Not to see,
The neon signs.
Because this isn’t the way.
We’re not progressing;
We’re only lying to ourselves,
With our justifications.

Is it inevitable? Am I in denial?
Better than I have been led astray,
Defiled by their anger while,
It decimates all that’s in its way.
Who’s to say that one day,
I won’t fall prey to the same?
Such a waste, Such a shame,
Better than I have seen love’s flame,
Flare out and burn all those it once warmed.
So now, here I stand torn,
Between what I want to be,
And what I’ve seen.
And what I know will one day be.

Jessie Gutierrez

PS: I get a kick out of cartoonish violence. It pairs nicely with broody poetry, don’t you think? AKA I know the featured doodle is only vaguely related to my poem and I like it.