Little Calamity Poem by Tristian Ford

My fierce vengeance, destructive as it can be,
contains the same poisons that scourge modern-day society.
Getting revenge contains the same poisonous substance
that ignites the world's ignoble strife.
During a moment of perpetual peace,
I began to sense an oneness with all of life.

My fierce jealousy, destructive as it can be,
contains the same toxins that provoke me to show no mercy.
If I am to seek revenge, steer clear of the night of my rage.
I've once had an accident
that caused all I've owned to dance under a heat haze.
There was one priceless facade that I could never replace.

When it got to that point,
I started to disentangle the fundamental truths about existence,
and drastically,
I began to perceive the old world in a new way.
Staying the same, for me, started to feel so strange,
I realized that nothing in life is permanent, but soon,
I learned that everything is subject to change.
Had I stayed filled with pride,
I would have had no room for wisdom when it came.
I'd only obfuscate matters further if all I sought was pleasure
and always avoided or lashed out at the pain.

As I braced myself for the calamitous burden on my life,
glorious peace rested on me.
Unfortunately, the ball and chain formed.
As for the weight of that burden, it never came.
I stood weak for a moment,
Until the priceless item found its way back to me,
I began to believe in my purpose, but most importantly, I knew my life would never be the same.

My fierce frustration, destructive as it can be,
contains the same fumes that fester anger,
Which provoked me to explode in an orange ball of flame.
I lived my whole life without the worthless things I accumulated,
It's a miracle that that one facade, other than a few burn stains, came out unscathed,
The priceless attribute I could not live without was my name.

-Tristian L.F. Ford