Who am I to learn the language of others, only to use it to foment the seeds of hatred in another? I learn the language of others so that I may speak the words of Love in their ear, and sleep comfortably knowing that they are not only heard, but understood.
Who am I to lay bare the foundation of the Earth with plans and insights, only to backfill it with a concrete of palatable words and vitriolic disgust because I find the results to be ugly? I seek what exists and what is True. Not so that I may bury what I find in shame, but so that I may release it and use those findings to further my own ends.
Who am I to give over my possessions and wealth in service of the poor as part of the cost of repairing my sterling reputation? My reputation is already tarnished beyond repair. I am a tool, digging through dirt and refuse. To repair myself for aesthetics would be a temporary thing.
Who am I to be impatient, unkind, and jealous of the deeds of another, seeking to always have a story that proves others have it harder, have overcome more? I seek to have stories that show that perhaps the world is not quite so big and unrelatable as it can sometimes seem.
Who am I to dishonor others, to drag their names through the mud and to point out previous wrongs? My reputation is equally tarnished, however it was tarnished in an effort to get to the Truth. As a result, the Truth is cherished and will not be denied.
Who am I to bow to the whims of uttered prophecies, scribbled in the dark by muted hand attached to a person as flawed and broken as myself? In truth, it often seems that the world is filled with those who are more capable, more intellligent, more attractive. In reality, the world is filled with people who are pretending to be more than they are for their own selfish reasons.
Who am I to deny the task of growth, of Becoming, simply because there are those who will treat me as a child? I put the ways of childhood behind me when I accepted that I am only responsible to myself. To gaze into a mirror is to see my reflection, as I am, and to more fully see the impacts of mine own actions. By knowing myself more competely, more fully, I become more fully known to those who would seek closeness with me.
Who am I to put faith in those I love, that they will see through the cracks and years of built-up filth? Who am I to hope that those closest to me will see the truth that exists beneath the crumbling and peeling carnival exterior?
Who am I to Love? To be cherished and preserved, to be cared for, to be washed and cleaned and dried? To sleep on a shelf when not in use? To lay there, alone with my thoughts, reaching out in the darkness and hoping to find the welcoming warmth of another?
Who am I to be worthy of power? To find myself catching the lance of Destiny as you hurl it through my pained flesh? To find its movement arrested as I twist the spear in cruel defiance of what was supposed to be sealed fate?
Who am I to stand,
When so many others choose to grovel on their knees?
Who am I to shout,
When so many others choose to shush their lips?
Who am I to demand,
When so many others choose to beg?
YOU WISH TO ASK ME:
WHO.
AM.
I?
I am Love. And before me, all will kneel -
even you, Time.
About the Creator
Aaron Richmond
Words weave, worlds unfold,
Growth, knowledge, imagination,
Aaron's artistry flows.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Keep reading
More stories from Aaron Richmond and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (3)
Wow, at first I was intent on the question you asked, Who am I? then all at once I felt as if the poem were me, thinking. "To repair myself for aesthetics would be a temporary thing" really sent me into my brain to search for why this spoke to me so much, as of now I can't say, but I hope to ponder some more. Thank you for this poetry.
Woah! This was an enjoyable read. I read it again after knowing the characters at the end.👏🏽
Fantastic! Who are any of us? Well written!