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
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.
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.
in a plastic chair wondering
if I am breathing or just a statue
with iPhone hands and hollow skull."
Wow, Susie - Outstanding!