Cognitive Dissonance Poem by Julia Luber

Philologically, it is obviously okay to dally in different perspectives,
like a dilettante, a jack of all trades, with belief systems and opinions.

And a poet should understand this easily, readily, openly, optimistically.
Practically celebrating the flux of life and the ebb and flow and that great

Force of this planet: CHANGE and of course the driving impetus- momentum!
Here it is an accepted way of life. And we accept each other in this way.

One day sad and cynical, writing of Death, almost planning a Brave approach.
Another day bursting with happiness, pride, and joyful singing like a very colorful bird!

And we accept each other this way. Without condemnation. Without real critique even.
At least that's what we do here. But not all places are this way. Not all people are this way.

Not even all writers and poets are this way. Oh, do not imagine differently.
Oh, do not discover the judgmental, the insulting, the debasing, and the accusational.

The worst of all are those who want to TRAP you in a certain perspective, and that is
their perspective: for LIFE! Those who want to take one minute of your expressions,

your attitude, your inclinations and TRAP you in that instance FOR LIFE. Sometimes, yes,
indeed, sometimes, they even want to truly TRAP you in one of a trillion shades of your

impulses, instincts, responses, and reflexes FOR LIFE. They want to take one ionic molecule,
one tiny cell of your trillion cell being and TRAP and CAGE and JAIL and LOCK you in this

one one trillionth gazillionth INSTANCE for life! It is powerful to them…..they want to be
like a camera- locking in a tiny dimension of your personality forever and always!

And they want to perverticize and contaminate that sense of being dedicated to one
thing for life, one idea, perhaps even one person, with this possibility as plain and pure

blandishment of your entire nature! Sometimes it is a teacher who does this. Sometimes
it is a family member. And sometimes it is even a friend-a friend with a nascent sadism

so powerful, and so intent, and so comfortable with destroying oneself that it becomes
really all that they ever wanted from you through being your friend at all. Let's not focus

on that one fact, that one instance, that one sentence like a bullet that essentially so
KILLED you like a bullet too! Let's not dwell in what somebody imprisoned you through

in your pure innocence. And so that person was intent upon killing you in anyway that
she believed she could get away with. And so that person needed to vampire off of

all and every fantastic dimension of your soul and psyche. And so that person was and is
a Terrible person, who needed to lock you in to the worst dimension of yourself in order

to steal and take and use many of the best dimensions of yourself. But do anything you
can to become yourself despite and remember that that was just one of billions of people.

And as for why that one person was so Powerful and Succesful at destroying you. Yes,
she occupied a Generic Standard about humanity. And it's too bad. But let's get back

to being here and loving this place…this poem in your heart and this eagerness in your
soul to rise above it. And let's wipe out the cancer that overtook your psyche and soul.

Regardless of how institutionalized, how complicated, how elaborate, how empowered,
how many people find professional comfort and solace and value and importance there

through. WIPE IT OUT! God has to do this kind of thing through Nature. So YOU have to do
this kind of thing anyway you know how too. So do it. So change. So write another poem.