aka Slangston Hughes, for Healing Bridges:
“What if everything I believe to be true about myself is a lie And if every line is a new world Created by the last lost thoughts tossed in a shot glass a formula formed to reborn elixirs a metaphor for what? mage made for page? melanin molded into unfolded mixtures? I’m an abstract path made clear picture A color wheel of blank stairs in a black n white world I am who I’d thought I’d be I was who I’d eventually become but never who you thought you knew Identity is an outfit we redesign while wearing Often a symphony in front of an audience with no hearing. Unaware of its own sonic ignorance as if to exist is to convince everyone else of your personally agreed reality how self centered is self preservation in a world that only accepts your shadow as evidence how lonely is acceptance of self when standing on the stage made for that shadow I am not boxed In. Nor Am I. The Box But foundational to the very ground I stand on A title wave of truth that embraces the possible Questions the logical to authentically live as one’s self Even during times when that is questioned by One’s self How do I get to be me tomorrow If questioned today by those who could never even begin to guess my truth Or perceive my hue I have been here so long My skin blends with the walls the sky is my ceiling and the birds sing my song a house built with Godly bones will never bend wrong But if a soul is strong The light will always shine through the Journey is what shapes the landscape your foot prints lay out In bad or good times let your inner shine be what guides from within for then all that will ever fade in the end is the doubt Amen"
Credit Artemis Vanderlay aka Slangston Hughes
Courtesy of Chat GPT:
Vandelay reflects on self-identity and personal growth, contemplating the possibility that his self-perceptions might be illusions, suggesting that each thought creates a new reality.
He describes himself as an "abstract path made clear picture," a "color wheel of blank stairs in a black and white world," and acknowledges that he has become who he intended to be, not who others perceived.
Vandelay likens identity to an outfit continuously redesigned while worn, and a symphony performed before an unhearing audience, highlighting the challenge of convincing others of one's personal reality.
He reflects on the difficulty of being himself when questioned by those who cannot comprehend his truth or perceive his essence.
He feels so integrated with his surroundings that his skin blends with the walls, the sky becomes his ceiling, and the birds sing his song.
He believes that a house built with divine integrity remains steadfast, and a strong soul allows light to shine through.
He asserts that he is neither confined nor the confining force but is fundamental to his own foundation.