Perception is not reality,
no matter how often we say that:
I did not see what I thought I saw,
hear what I thought I heard.
I just laid my inner upon my outer.
If I call out the perception
as being real,
I lie.
It’s not my fault!
This is how we are raised —
to crop the visual to template,
edit the audio to reduce clipping,
make the senses agree
with the interpretation.
In other words,
I know you
only as I allow you to be known.
It’s not my fault!
Can you see that?
If you don’t or won’t
you liar,
I will cut you as I would
a flower.
Let you be pretty
until you die and are tossed and forgotten.
I can cut another I prefer
later.
If only, if only. I won’t repeat that. Instead let’s
stop being so damned
American —
seriously. Let’s just admit
we don’t know each other
no matter how long we’ve been
acquainted. Let’s
act like we’ve been made stupid
by the damn culture.
We have. And so
let’s pull the pole out of the center
of the earth and let the axis of perception
wobble —
when the world shakes
we’ll have to cling to each other
and maybe then,
we’ll get past it.
Dark Matter 
January 25th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
myself have been looking at the nature of absolutes … sort of lost me when hitting the ‘anger part’ of your write. but the detour is well worth the passion
January 26th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
I think what may not be clear (and I may go back and edit for this) is that there’s a subtle statement about the political climate in the US implied in the poem. Hence, the source of the anger.
January 24th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
I think art (poetry, ect…) is something that changes the way we perceive the world. So yes, there is no world in that sense – only perception. and we only have each others’ word for it that we agree…
Elisabeth Bee
January 24th, 2011 at 10:06 am
It is a wonderful thing for me that we can appreciate things in our own little ways.
January 24th, 2011 at 10:09 am
Can you expand on that in relation to the poem?
January 24th, 2011 at 10:13 am
It is just great for me, sir, that there are different ways to see things. and from every perception, we can have our little ways to appreciate things.
you write so well, sir. have a nice day.
January 24th, 2011 at 10:16 am
I see. Thank you.