Today, I Understand
written by: Riry Dione
I looked into my hunger
And it gaped back at me with pity
Or menace
I could not tell.
I looked into every stranger
And in their smiles, I saw sneers
Absurdity sporting the faces of joy.
I listened to the words between
Their formless laughter,
And they whispered to me
Nothing.
I looked into the seas in the sky
And the clouds in the seas,
In the eye of the storm,
And the hearts with teeth;
I looked into these fat raindrops
All over my hands
And they merely transformed color to red.
I looked into the trees
And the leaves in their branches
In the whitewashed picket fences
And fresh starched curtains
Strewn over them to dry.
I looked into my anger
And the rage in everybody else
And when they whispered
Nothing.
I looked into the sparrows and dragonflies
In the heart of afternoons that are painted purple
I looked here, there, and everywhere
And concluded
They did not look back at me.
- Today, I Understand - January 5, 2024
