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a wall

by Jared Fladeland

in the shame of not making eye contact,
i gesture endlessly with my hands,
but they are empty,
like broken hourglasses,
unable to tell you anything, really.

if i look you in the eye,
all i see is a robotic shutter,
taking in information, studying, focusing,
computing out information;
you lose your humanity.

i want to see you as a person,
so i continue to look away,
and try and say everything,
but my hands always lie and tell you nothing
all the same

i do not want to be pulled apart,
analyzed, scoured for every bit
of observation possible,
i just want to be me,
but by doing all this,
i become nothing.

when i attempt to see others,
it is as if i have been drugged,
my senses heighten,
my vision becomes blurred around the edges
as if i was hallucinating,
and that is no way to view life at all.

so i shrink myself,
lie to myself,
separate myself from humanity,
all because i'm scared
of ever really being seen.

01/25/2010

Posted on 01/25/2010
Copyright © 2024 Jared Fladeland

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by George Hoerner on 01/25/10 at 02:21 PM

Oh yes, that guy from North Dokata. He doesn't know others and isn't known, with a population so sparse you don't see 'the other'. A fine write from one who doesn't know us, but understands all too well what separates us from each other.

Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 01/25/10 at 04:04 PM

I think George said it best. Amazing.

Posted by Therese Elaine on 01/25/10 at 07:05 PM

It's like you're folding yourself into origami and then immersing yourself into a rubix cube and you wait for others to try and figure you out, give you symmetry and solidarity...and instead you're just pawed and fingerprinted and tangled and put down in favour of easier puzzles.

Posted by V. Blake on 02/01/10 at 05:41 AM

You've got such a recognizable voice in all your poems--I don't know how to describe it, but it is unique to you, and it is awesome. I have to think I'm starting to sound redundant, but another great write, Jared.

Posted by Charlie Morgan on 08/03/11 at 11:45 PM

...congrats...i love this.

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