one oh two
destruction instructions:
self-destructive
Janet Kuypers
poem based on her 1997 poem “self-destructive”
2/8/15
i’ve been self-destructive before
and you liked me then
should i go back
go back to those days
when it didn’t matter who i was with
because
why would it matter
unless it was you?
But I can’t do that
to myself anymore
because now it’s about time
to turn it all around
‘cause if you think for a second
we’re gonna stay content
with injuring ourselves
(when really,
it’s been so second nature to you
to hurt us over and over again,
justifying it, saying
‘that’s just the way it always is’)
Because how were we self-destructive before,
how did you like us
when we did ourselves in
and when we succumbed to you
Well, were tired of acting helpless
you haven’t begun to see
how strong we really are
Because we’ve seen how you work
and I said it’s now time
to turn it all around
because I’ll use your tricks
and make you self-destructive
and once the tables
are totally turned,
you’ll feel
how we women feel
when the cards have been
perpetually stacked against you
and you
have no power
at all.
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