Reading As An Act Of Violence Poem by Raj Dronamraju

I like to read descriptions of destruction
And brutalize my brain with truth
And now separate the well-constructed lie that is on par with and indistinguishable from the truth

I read books because I hate you
Because I hate the world, I listen to records
I escape a suntan and if caught I use the knowledge I've acquired as a weapon of self-defense

I use reference as a sort of alchemy
I like to read when I am alone
Like cells plot acts of insurrections in windowless bedrooms

I seek out the inspiration of opposite meaning
Laid down and clarified with character creation and prose
That's your world that clings so desperately with a poison culture's grip

That's your culture that reeks of fascist roots and their reliance on shiny things
It's color coded blasphemy to speak out against materialism and decadence
Colored labels, Dewey Decimal System, pubic library

No one stood up so clearly without threat of commercial avoidance as the author of a book
No one seized a stolen weapon from an overrun police weapon with as much force
No one fought back as hard as the author who wrote and published a book