A Second Look At The American Personality Poem by Dennis Ryan

September 26,2007

"I lost the line between right and wrong;
I just wanted to belong..."
- Beth Orton, "Stolen Car"

Is something wrong, feeling misplaced—that you don't belong?
Has there been a shift in protocols and procedures?At council,
does Odysseus beat down loose-tongued Thersites for no good reason?
Is Socrates arrested, tried and convicted because he's committed indefensible crimes?
Wanting to belong,we will do anything, say anything, to hold the truth at bay.
Well aware, and reminded this has been a long time coming, I see you now as
I saw you then: you had to manipulate every situation to your personal advantage
no matter what, and now I'm left here pondering the ruins of our friendship.