The hostile silence
Of the status quo
Of defending lines on paper
Of things we think we know
Of authority
as a substitute for intelligence
as automatic reverence
Pull on threads at your peril
I‘m impervious to scrutiny
Who are you to question me
—
My empathy is selective
Reserved for me and my s/kin
Don’t ask where it comes from
That’s just the way it’s been
I don’t have time to ponder
If you didn’t question
I wouldn’t wonder…
This conversation is over
This piece is related to Egregore, which I did not realize until after writing it. Thank you, Lillian and the dVerse team! The first part is the quadrille.
Photo by Eilis Garvey on Unsplash
© 2026 Ociola Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved.
6 Comments
Great poem!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Thank you, Yvette! ☺️
Alas, too many people these days embody the limited views of your ‘impervious’ protagonist.
Indeed!
A powerful write and so appropriate for the situation right now within the US caused by a man who never should have been elected to any public office let alone the presidency. A convicted felon should not be allowed to run for President! These lines I particularly like
“Of authority
as a substitute for intelligence
as automatic reverence”
AND
“My empathy is selective
Reserved for me and my s/kin”
LOVE how you separated skin to equate to “my skin” and “my kin” which is exactly applicable to President Trump.
Well written! Many thanks for posting to the prompt!
Thank you! ☺️