So I'm Told (a poem).

I am not a man
i am a shell
i am a mask
I am a shadow of life,
that once was
but Is Not Now.

I am not a human
i am a species
i am a parasite
i am a viper
defanged and
removed of my venom
I've been told
It's For My Own Good.

I am not an artist,
artists don't shower
artists are happy
artists vote liberal
artists burn car dealerships
and praise animals
and I eat Steak twice a Day,

or at least Once a Week.

I am certainly alive
I have a pulse
I bleed when cut
I bruise when struck
I am alive,
at least
They Tell Me So.

I am definitly free
I have no chains
There are no bars on my windows
My locks have keys
and I can walk about
I Am Definitly Free

but I am a Prisoner
of money
media saturation
connectivity, availability,
communications
and greed

my cellphone stops working
for an hour out of the day

I Panic.

in my own Free World
I Am a Prisoner.

I pray to God every Day,
my cell phone
my computer
the internet
the bank
my wallet
the government
the television
the news

Some days I don't even
See the Sun, and yet
I convince Myself
I see the world.

I Am a Christian
in that I am guilty
by association,
share the blame
with all my brothers
and sisters,
the blood on my hands
as red as theirs

"I wasn't there"
does not generally work
in the arguement of
religion
Guilt by association,
and I've already been
to Communion

in this I Am a Christian,
though most times
I wish I wasn't.

I am a Pacifist,
I advocate gun control
and dislike violence
while I stand
behind my suburban prison walls
with my Samsung ankle moniter
clasped in my hand,
I watch a war
I must admit
I never understood
continue unabated
while earthquakes turn
to ratings
and numbers
and political currency.

I am a Pacified Audience.

I am a Man
as much a Man
as I can be,
I think,
I have no children,
I have no Job,
no future career
I have no joy in life,
but I have a Social security number,
and I pay Taxes,
therefore I am
a Man.

Or so They tell Me.