Anger
The simplest
And most complicated
Of emotions
His anger is celebrated
A mirage of strength
Power
Control
Her anger is ridiculed
A loss of control
Inconvenient
Emotion without reason
Neither view is complete
Or completely wrong
For all of us
We feel righteous in our anger
Full
And complete
But anger can be an illusion
Of power
Control
Sometimes it pops
Like a bubble
A balloon of hot air
And we are left feeling empty
Drained
Sometimes full of regret
And shame
Even when it is justified
And full
of substance
It can only be an important step in a journey
But never a home
worth living in
Use anger as a tool
A sign
“Injustice may live here”
Worthy of further exploration
But even in its most righteous form
Anger alone cannot solve problems
It can fuel action
Incite support
In the moment of outrage
But avoid the quicksand
Of rage untempered by reflection
That way leads to despair
Inaction
Silence
Beware anger as a shield
Against feeling
Pain
Guilt
Regret
Fear
These emotions are necessary steps
To continue any journey
To grow
Feel your anger
Seek to understand it
Then look beyond
Find strength
And power
In feeling
In seeking
shared vulnerability
empathy
and joy
Oct 4, 2021
Oct 4, 2021 at 12:18 AM UTC
Anger
The simplest
And most complicated
Of emotions
His anger is celebrated
A mirage of strength
Power
Control
Her anger is ridiculed
A loss of control
Inconvenient
Emotion without reason
Neither view is complete
Or completely wrong
For all of us
We feel righteous in our anger
Full
And complete
But anger can be an illusion
Of power
Control
Sometimes it pops
Like a bubble
A balloon of hot air
And we are left feeling empty
Drained
Sometimes full of regret
And shame
Even when it is justified
And full
of substance
It can only be an important step in a journey
But never a home
worth living in
Use anger as a tool
A sign
“Injustice may live here”
Worthy of further exploration
But even in its most righteous form
Anger alone cannot solve problems
It can fuel action
Incite support
In the moment of outrage
But avoid the quicksand
Of rage untempered by reflection
That way leads to despair
Inaction
Silence
Beware anger as a shield
Against feeling
Pain
Guilt
Regret
Fear
These emotions are necessary steps
To continue any journey
To grow
Feel your anger
Seek to understand it
Then look beyond
Find strength
And power
In feeling
In seeking
shared vulnerability
empathy
and joy
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