I thought we were here for the poetry
Not to win a popularity contest and gloat arrogantly about how loved we are
Not to make friends with multiple personas of the same person
and wait for likes and comments to come pouring in on our *******

I thought we were here for the stories penned by talented writers and for inspiration in our own work
Not to plagiarize the writing of others and steal something from them that can't be replaced
Or to bring others down by telling them they're not welcome here
To bash others openly, repeatedly, harshly
making them feel like their words are not as important

I thought we were here for the poetry
not to call each other names,
slandering the only thing that separates us from everyone else in our lives;
our words

But I hang my head as I realize we're no longer here for the poetry
We're here to make war with each other out of petty differences and jealousies
when we should be using that passion to create inspiration from each other