There’s a truth beyond
What the world sees
And what the world believes.
I stand on the edge
Of these two worlds
And I just try not to
Lose my footing
And keep balance.
Your stories are beautiful,
I wish I lived your life,
They’d say,
I’d think of the scars
My soul wears as
Reminders of the wars
And I would smile,
But my thoughts would
Run wild
With memories from
When I was still only a child
It’s an awful place to be,
Wanting to be understood
Yet hiding behind tall walls
Or somewhere in the woods.
But I do find solace in the fact
That there’s always tomorrow
Maybe I’ll finally get to meet
A person I can follow,
Someone who understands my pain
And makes it easier to swallow
You know?

Before all of this, even after all of this, I will forever be a patriot.
Before the poet in me matured and I started talking like a parrot,
The dogs of war barked and I climbed exile's fence on my own
And there I have dwelled, with nothing tangible to bring me down.

I have been on this fence so long and I will remain there forever!
Especially since the premature child is still in the incubator.
From this vantage point, I have learned never to trust any politician
I've always looked at them with mistrust, disdain, and suspicion,

Before all of this  and before I ran and climbed the exile fence,
I was once mercilessly flogged, dragged and made to dance
By drugged up and coerced child soldiers with a rubber cable
They tied and spread me like a dog on the market table
I watched as innocent people were killed with a rusty knife
There, I vowed to become a fence dweller for the rest of my life!

I've been a patriot all my life but I have done it from here..safer.
From here I have seen blood spilled, hearts broken, hopes dashed,
progresses stalled, mullions embezzled, promises broken, lies told
people changed, games played, party surfed, interests prioritized.
And from this vantage point, I have learned never ever to trust any politician
I have always been right...though I have looked on with disdain, suspicion,
and operated with caution but through it all, I have remained a true patriot and a fence dweller.

.✍️©️✍️IvanBrooksPoetry.✍️©️✍️