have you ever drowned in your own feelings
have you ever eaten more cake than you could ever imagine
have the two of you sat down and had your heads examined

when your fragility
is like broken crockery
too much to handle
every government feels like a hooligan
or an intentional vandal

i spend too much time
arguing with men
whose masculinity is a cancer
for which they will not seek treatment

aspirations,
and its love of individualism and capitalism
it is how they define success
loving a libertarian
and now the country looks on wondering why it is such a mess

things upset you,
things that you do not expect
like empty houses,
the memories they collect
haunted by ghosts
and the knowledge of death

it does not stop me,
caring for you,
offering you comfort
and accepting comfort
it is good that in certain shared spaces
we can share our troubles

compassion and empathy
have become –
far left terrorists
tolerance –
is a traitor
and understanding a rebel fighter

a charmed few
are protected by their self illusion
how is it –
their self promotion
turns into actual promotion