Did You?

Hey, did you

Wake up to

Find you're not who you thought you should be?
Did you at last

Look at the past

Several years to think of who you would be?
Does the present match the image that you'd stamped

Inside your mind?

Or does there seem to be omitting something that

You may have left behind?

The problem is that in our dreaming

We don't factor obstacles into the fantasy

We also forget what's real or seeming

In the weighing of our destiny

Sometimes we forget to count the torments

And disasters we've braved to get this far

But the battle and gain are both important

For it's the culmination of who we are

Art By Committee

The new art teacher, one Miss Heather

Assigned a project to bring the whole class together

Where each student gave their own input as bade

To then unveil what the whole class had made

So they whirled and curved, a kaleidoscope atlas

Where every color available was strewn on the canvas

They attacked the blank spaces with passion and glee

With chuckles and flourish, an artistic frenzy

Shapes soon took form; seas, mountains and skies

And by the end of the day they could scarce believe their eyes

Miss Heather mounted the portrait upon the wall

So it could be seen quite easily by all

Smiles lit the room left to right, one by one

The whole class beaming at what they had done

They chatted and pointed at their effort and care

Upon this single artwork which they all now shared

There was joy, there was pride, there was mirth in the air

From the exhilaration of creation, even greater when shared

Then Miss Heather looked toward the class

And said “What do you say?

You've accomplished so fast

Quite a bit today”

And the class nodded, pleased with this show

Til one hand arose, from the very back row

“The colors makes a rainbow, it could associate the piece as gay

And it might offends gays who don't wish to be portrayed that way.”

Miss Heather was taken aback by these words indeed

And looked to the class to see who else disagreed

There were murmurs and whispers, then a casual assent

Then the rainbow was deemed unworthy, so off it went

The piece seemed less bright as the classroom now gazed

Then attention was turned as a second hand raised.

“Red is the color of anger and blood,

It's hurtful to any who have suffer'ed”

And so it was decided that red be removed

Then another hand rose with this shifting mood

“Blue is the color of sadness, a common confession

It could cause misery to any who have suffered depression”

And on Miss Heather went with this tedious chore
Each plaintiff emboldened by the guff left before

And so it continued, each color stripped one by one

Til the last of the tasteful edits were done

They had snipped here and there with precision and care

To let all know they were quite socially aware

At last Miss Rose hung the canvas back on the wall

And the class was perplexed by what they then saw

Incredulous stood a student named Hank.

“Miss Heather, what is this? That canvas is blank!”

Miss Heather was quiet as she gathered her words

Then stood to be sure that each word was heard

“These were the changes you all chose to make

I edited art for everyone's sake

This attempt to comply with opinions, et al

Leaves us with a canvas showing nothing at all

Art once pushed boundaries, shook us up, caused a stir.

Then the public decided which voices should be heard.

“Then those boundaries ebbed and slowly receded
As each new worry and complaint were then heeded

Art became pandering, so no damage be done

For you'd be judged and ostracized for offending someone

“And here we are later, all tip toes; never heeding a call

Which leaves the blank page we see here on the wall”

The class all grew silent. Miss Heather did too.

She set down her chalk and with naught else to do

She stood from her chair, gathered her books from the floor

And with a wan smile, she walked toward the door

“We won't meet tomorrow. My last lesson is this.

I've no more to teach you. Class is dismissed.”