Being Human

I am pale flesh,
red heart, and dreams
balancing on reality.

There are days my bones
walk me beyond a horizon
of stars and stripes war,
the book of religion, and
insanity packaged as truth.

Yet, there are days I sit
in a plastic chair wondering
if I am breathing or just a statue
with iPhone hands and hollow skull.

I struggle to own my words
in the mine camp of Algorithms 
pouring everything I write or say
into the clutch of Artificial Intelligence.

Every day I pinch myself to feel pain,
embrace tears that prove I still have empathy,
and place myself in another’s shoes
so I don’t become so callous I ignore suffering.

I am human trying to sustain my humanity.

©Susie Clevenger 2025





 

Comments

Wow, Susie, just WOW. "Yet, there are days I sit in a plastic chair wondering
if I am breathing or just a statue with iPhone hands and hollow skull." If that doesn't nail the Kafka nature of today, I don't know what does. This was spot on and chilling. Great work.
Sherry Blue Sky said…
Susie, you have NAILED it. "I am human, trying to sustain my humanity." That is it exactly. Empathy through the numb disbelief this is even happening, compassion and outrage against the ghastly deranged cruelty that is ripping families apart. Your pen is dipped in truth-speak and I only wish any of those on the right that still have a grain of conscience left could read them.
Sumana Roy said…
"....if I am breathing or just a statue
with iPhone hands and hollow skull." This is exactly our time. But the only hope is in our attempt "to sustain" humanity; trying to be human.
Susan said…
So much is "packaged as truth" that it is hard to know what reality we balance on. I like how this poem moves us from what we deal with daily to our purpose: trying to be human.
Jae Rose said…
Sometimes it feels we need a lot of strength in order to feel human - it can be very tough. But this feels like a poem of strength - Jae
Jim said…
Susie, nice reasoning process here. I'm glad that you ended with having empathy as the saving grace. I got a small kick out of the plastic chair. Just a bit before tonight we visited our daughter and Dutch, her cat. Daughter complained that her husband had broken a plastic chair of theirs.
Mary said…
Susie, I hear you. It is so hard to keep one's humanity these days. I struggle with it daily and don't always win. What a powerful poem.
rallentanda said…
Yes.. looks as if the robots are taking over. Dangerous times.
Anonymous said…
"Yet, there are days I sit
in a plastic chair wondering
if I am breathing or just a statue
with iPhone hands and hollow skull."

Wow, Susie - Outstanding!
Anonymous said…
That was Sara.