survival guide

perception
you learn to read between the lines,
never take anything at face value
the ability to pick safety out of a crowd
you learn how to find the truth
because the lies can only fool you once

your edge
because if you can make them feel even
a fraction of what they make you feel
then maybe they'll leave you alone,
maybe they'll go easy on you

you have to learn when to be quiet
because your thoughts are dangerous,
your ideas threatening
because you have to pick between
being truthful and being safe

how to blend into a crowd
how to survive the day undetected
they can do you no harm
if they can never find you
you give up parts of yourself
for permission to exist

and through it all you learn
how to find each other
and how to care for each other
because the world is scary and
sometimes all we have is each other
the world will never protect us so
we have to be there for each other

adalet

VT

YWP Alumni

More by adalet

  • june


    june
    is pride month
    a month to live authentically
    out loud
    proud
    the streets are full of color and
    the world is a party

    but pride month is so much more
    it is a celebration of our
    rich and radical history
  • gone now

    a love letter to gone now by bleachers

    the song slips from the speakers:
    everybody lost somebody
    which begs the question:
    who have we lost?

    i look around the room and see
    the boy who lost his father