My son's high school Language Arts (aka English) class's theme for the semester is the utterly predictable "social justice," discussing topics like "identity." I'm beyond proud of him for this contribution to the discussion.
NOTE: The blog platform doesn't seem to be handling the paragraph spacing well, so here is a PDF version that will also make it easier to print if you want to: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hs89t535wy2ldmd/Identity%20poem.pdf?dl=0
Identity,
what a wholly human concept.
Only we could misconstrue
something so abstract.
Only we allow ourselves
to be defined
by such limits
as labels.
Only we
willingly trade cause
for result;
to justify your behavior
with the claim
it‘s just who we are,
to forget that
the person
and the actions
are not an excuse
for one another.
When did defending our goals
find itself more important
than pursuing them?
When did our sense of individuality
find itself codependent
on others?
When did “I”
find itself interchangeable
with “us”?
Painting stories
of lives we haven’t lived,
calling experiences we never had
our own;
dismissing passion, purpose,
for the comfort
of finding yourself
in someone else,
A future predetermined
by a past name,
living up to our legacy,
before you are given the chance
to create your own.