Curse of Adherence
A poem about the nature of loyalty by Daniel Whitlow
we are more than our dreams but nothing without them.
what hypocrites we are — raised to give praise to illusions and relics
and trumpets blaring brazen chords of summoning —
what are we really asking? when did we ever want the truth about anything?
no one knows when loyalty is finished —
seek the continuation of maggot-spoiled history, not the red-faced infancy of new opportunities —
it keeps capitalizing on weakness —
celebrate the exquisite decomposing geometry of cancerous, epidemic alienation —
it manipulates the absence in your heart —
drives dirt-cemented, loam-encrusted, blood-corrected fingernails into pallid, oily skin —
its cynical shadow becomes your master —
and reemphasize your frail-choking, throat-shedding need to gag on failure’s pulse —
and you love its delicate touch, its sumptuous texture —
we both know who the fuck you really are; no need for false, square-jawed modesty this time —
isn’t it nice to know it will lie to you? —
plunge into the inky crepuscular entropic shit serving as your totem; the only way through is into —
it won’t suffer infidelity, though, I should warn you —
fragile-wristed, hypersensitive contradictions persist as demarcations of your spine and spirit —
it will fucking kill you —
it is not for us to define hate — hates defines us
in the only way it can; its clenched-fisted brand of simple-minded intolerance,
which is where we find ourselves. We are nothing without our dreams
and so much less than we wanted when we were kids.
Author’s Note
When loyalty goes from devotion to sacrifice, we have learned to not question those who insist it is worth the price, those who never have to sacrifice, those who still live.
About the Author
Daniel Whitlow received a life sentence at 17. He began writing and thought that no one would ever hear his words. He considers this opportunity — to share a part of himself he thought was lost to the indifferent, unhearing void of razor wire and concrete emptiness — to be life changing. His gratitude is beyond expression.
