respect your elders
a rhetoric taught for eons
passing through the generations

taught to people of colour
to the indigenous peoples
to the poor
to the sick
to the disabled
to women
to lgbtq+ peoples
to the gender non conforming
to the religious

to children who are
and will be
everything that they fear

but when the elders
remove you from yourself
a shell of what you could be
if you had room to grow

how do we decide when you dont deserve our respect?

if we decide you dont deserve our respect
what happens then?

what will happen when those that were oppressed
now have room to grow?
the glass that covered the candle has cracked
the flame is spreading
and it will burn this cursed house
from the inside out