So subtle it is,
the exclusion,
that nobody really
sees this hidden state
of being and everything
appears to be as it has
always been shown
smilingly to the world.

The surface is shiny
and polished everyday,
and this unified front
belies the separation
that waits beneath
and comes out with teeth
when nobody is around to
witness the savage marks
in the soft flesh.

How can you prove
what is felt so deep?

Exclusion, excluded,
separated, placed in the
margins so neatly constructed
so as to be not seen.

 

5/3/2023