by Jean Van Loon
—To belong we surrender our wildness, Lisa Kundrat Haversack
We soften our voices, wait for our turn
gentle our comments and temper our tempers
or bury them — under smiles
at first hard to force, soon habit.
Gentled our comments, tempered our tempers
at times we forget what we feel.
At first we repress, soon auto-delete.
When asked what we think, we don’t know.
At times we forget what we feel
resigned to accommodate ease
when asked what we think, we don’t know.
To belong we surrender our wildness.
We suppress our sense of unease
or bury it under smiles.
To belong we surrender our wildness
soften our voices, wait for our turn.
— from Juniper Volume 3, Issue 1