Saturday, March 24, 2007

Definition, Self-definition

Don't you think,
That all we are
Are mirrors of ourselves
Self-definitions of others' definitions.
We carry with us images of others' perceptions
And function.
This is who I am
Seen by so and so.
I am daughter, I am sister,
I am teacher, I am lover,
I am scholar, I am patriot,
I am angry, disappointed, hopeful woman.
If all we are
Are other people's expectations,
Then what there is
Are aspirations
Or illusions
Or delusions.

In similar pictures
We see ourselves.
We live out stereotypes.
Tattoos, piercings,
Devil-may-care-don't-give-a-shit,
Rock n' roll, long-haired,
Head-banging, marijuana-smoking
Clichés.

If all we are
Are scripts
If all we are
Are repetitions
Then what is there?
What self-indulgence
Is in soul-searching.
What cliché.

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