the Joyful Conqueror arm wrestles
the Sorrowful Scared Cynic
who’s used to losing
Wild Dreamer kicks
the Careful Rule Follower
in the shins under the table
so Sh*t-stirrer starts up,
knocking over a chair
into Peacemaker, who spills
her drink onto the stifled
Realist’s crisp white shirt
the Diplomat steps forward
but procrastinates for an instant
and gets shoved out of
the way by the Bitter Gossip
Rebellion lets out a whoop,
sensing all-out war,
but Purity pokes her head
into the door, with Conscience
close behind, and it’s all over
with a grumble from reluctant
Understanding, everybody
comes together and settles
back down
This poem is in response to an exercise from Poemcrazy (of course!) that suggested identifying all the different sides of yourself – something like that. It didn’t suggest having them brawl, but this is what I came up with when I let my mind wander into that idea. I had fun writing it, especially thinking about what ridiculous turmoil it is, not just inside of me, but inside of every beautifully complex and ultimately fascinating human being on the planet. (This includes you!)
Thank you for reading!
The Poetry Patio 