to the maddening crowd;
their chants like marching feet,
stomping on my brain until
I could no longer think
I lost myself when they said,
‘You must pick a side or recant’-
something along those lines,
but I finally remembered who I was
when I awoke from the hate-filled haze
The liquid gold horizon called me home
like an abandoned bird left in the nest;
I flew as fast as I could, never looking back
at the mob that demanded their way
Boxes and checkmarks;
structured stanzas and themes
that don’t speak to me- but now,
it’s a sacred return and a journey
to freedom beneath a painted moon,
guiding me home to the milky way
Free image from Pixabay.