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

What's Going On? ~ Being Human