So many
Have become reactionary,
Afraid of anyone
Who isn't like them,
Perceiving threats
Where there are none,
Holding on for dear life to
Unearned privilege,
Emotionally dead.
Perhaps they always were,
I just didn't know it.
The change was abrupt,
Much faster than
One might ever expect.
It was as if all the
Restraints had been
Taken off
After years of containment,
And I was there
To bear the brunt.
I was looking forward to
A fun gathering and
Instead got a
Horrible nightmare.
I pretended to be happy
While you were with
Someone else,
So no one would
See my pain.
Ostracized,
Labeled an undesirable
By people who only know
How to talk at me and
Who have never asked
A single question to
Clarify why I want
Nothing to do with them,
Their notions
Preconceived.