Standing Up

Here I am,
Standing in front of you.
With painful scars visible and hidden,
With strength noteworthy and exposed,
I stand not alone, I stand alone.
To one side are legions of supporters,
To the other are legions of opposed.
Both, with so much to say.
Both, stubborn as mules.
Neither is wrong,
Neither is per say, correct.
Embarrassed by radicals.
Embarrassed by slackers.
Here I stand,
Free to criticism,
Free to praise.
I stand as an activist,
A failure,
A gay,
A straight,
A slut,
A virgin,
A Hispanic, Asian, African, Muslim, Catholic, Jew, American, Buddhist.
I stand as a farmer,
As a paper firm,
As a meat lover,
As a vegan.
I stand before you offering everything,
I stand before you offering nothing.
I am a soldier, seaman, fighter pilot,
I am a protestor, communist, peace lover.
I don’t drink or do drugs.
I love beer and gin, as well as vodka and tequila.
I do LSD,
I snort coke,
I smoke pot,
I shoot heroin,
I deal pounds,
I listened to my parents,
I ran away.

When will it be obvious?
When will the world get along?
When will we say sorry?
I am not going to say sorry,
I act in the name of the Holy Lord, Allah, and the United States of America.
I am a doctor, I know how to heal,
I am fat, skinny, sick, in shape, infected, and need medicine.
I practice yoga,
I use herbal remedies,
I go to the gym,
I bike in the park,
I run on the sand,
I sit on the couch for days at a time.
I don’t want to let the Mexicans in,
I want to help the Mexicans assimilate.
I want to cut back spending,
I want to better education,
I work for my work I share,
I work for my money it’s mine.
I think the planet is getting too hot and it’s your fault,
I don’t worry about global morning, I wont be around.
I stand here seeking judgment.
I dress in fashion,
I have piercings and tattoos,
I dress with mixed patterns.
I have a 4.0,
I got a 2200 on my SAT’s,
I am on Academic Probation,
I drive a bus.
I read the news and know the events of the world,
I don’t read the news,
I read the news and have no clue what is going on.
In front of you I stand,
In front of you I am not noticed.
Until I do something wrong,
Until I cause a ruckus,
Then, I will be in the news,
Then, I will remain exposed.

-jared a muscat