Don’t presume to instruct me in my own emotions:
You’ve never pumped an ounce of blood through this heart, lived one minute of my past, braved my night terrors.
Forget about shoes; you can’t walk my path in them, can’t make me wear them,
but you wanna pedagogue me, catechize me, tell me how,
forgetting
that I have my own thoughts, moods, interior rooms you’ll never enter.
My context isn’t free; you are not
entitled
I am not
obligated
Joy pain sorrow grief betrayal pride shame regret rage anger fear rejection exclusion denial doubt love hate compassion exuberance exasperation condemnation enlightened sexy timid stupid invisible empowered exhausted desperate overwhelmed
Pick a word. Feel it however you want, and mind your own damn business.
About the Creator
Harper Lewis
I'm a weirdo nerd who’s extremely subversive. I like rocks, incense, and all kinds of witchy stuff. Intrusive rhyme bothers me.
MA English literature, College of Charleston
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Comments (6)
♥️The rhythm throughout this masterpiece felt like a flurry of paintballs, splattering the canvas with the colors of defiance. Your use of Tricolon in the early stanzas creates a percussive force that feels like a hard puff of breath behind every line.
The opening line about not presuming to instruct you in your own emotions hit like a boundary being drawn in real time, especially paired with “you’ve never pumped an ounce of blood through this heart.” It felt less like anger for its own sake and more like self-defense, the kind that comes after being explained away one too many times. I loved how the rush of emotion-words at the end refuses to be categorized or tidied up for anyone else’s comfort — it felt freeing just to read. When you wrote this, was there a specific moment where someone crossed that line, or did it come from years of small intrusions stacking up?
Really fierce with this poem and the ending love "Pick a word. Feel it however you want, and mind your own damn business." 💜
Wonderfully affirmative, Harper. A nicer way of saying “Get the Fvck out of my feelings.”
Loved this poem. I'd pick the word fierce, I think. Not an option from your list but fitting for the tone of the poem and what I've learned about you from your writing so far. Glad to see you post. I hope that means you've fared well thus far through the ice storm. You've been on my mind and my prayers this weekend.
'Pick a word' Ha! Loved that ending.