Look At Yourself

By Nathan Porceng

So this is what it took?

Look at yourself.
Two damn decades
running out
flashing your wares
in bombed bazaars abroad,
you thought you were
hot shit
shit hot
riding high
in hot rods
spewing your gas
while we sat
stewing.

Look at yourself.
We made our vows,
proved our love,
every morning
K-12.
We sweet talked you,
covered for you,
made you feel 
B I G
and that’s the problem.
UNCONDITIONAL love,
because you can’t stand 
being challenged,
while you’re punching down
bitching 
about your bloodied knuckles.

Go.
Break down.
Crawl.
Devolve.
Take a knife to your gut.
Excise what ails you.
Look at yourself.

Look at me.

Look at them.

Look at us.

Nathan Porceng is a Washington based poet, songwriter, and submariner. He has been published by Headline, The Misfit Quill and Entropy, and firmly believes Joe Strummer gave us all the tools we need to save the world.