Bubbles are dangerous- now, let me explain.

Not the nostalgic solution,

Innocence and iridescence

Cherished in childhood

Loved by young and old alike.

 

No- these bubbles divide

Leaving behind

Ignorance.

Unawareness.

Safety.

 

The sight of bigger bubbles, smaller bubbles,

Different bubbles

Sends a shudder down my spine

As I shun differences,

Because I've made up my mind.

 

Opinions forged throughout the years

Form a fortress

Surrounding my political ideals.

They seal air-tight

Allowing no room to breathe or move.

 

I don't allow myself a thought

That strays from the paths which I've been taught.

I am too suffocated by the expectations

Of those whose views are in line with mine

To realize that they have created the very foundation.

 

My foundation of thought,

Which I once considered my own.

And the foundations of the walls

Which should never have been built

That for years stood proud and tall.

 

This year I have realized

In a world divided

I should make no contribution,

So I tear down my walls

And join the political revolution.

 

With my bubble popped,

I watch feeling simply defeated

As our incoming president

Proposes that history

Be repeated.

 

I will not stand to see years of progress

Be simply erased due to a lack of empathy

For those who have been repeatedly repressed,

Unable to climb a ladder

That they haven't been given.

 

As I finally welcome new thoughts in,

I see public figures suppressing those

Who are forward thinking,

And encourage those

Who do not oppose.

 

As I ensure that my accepting nature is still in-tact,

My walls crumbled to the ground,

Our leader creates new ones

In an attempt to vilify

Those who are in search of a better life.

 

He calls them rapists,

He accuses them of crimes,

All to create a false enemy

To encourage bigoted citizens

To rally behind.

 

I see through his lies, walls, and exaggeration,

And I know that the leader of our free nation

Will not be allowed to destroy it

Without an enormous outcry

Of every person who he does not unify.

 

Those who remember that

America was built on the backs

Of slaves and immigrants,

And will not ignore anyone

Based solely on their religion, skin color, or origin.

 

In 2016 I found my voice,

And I use it knowing that with a choice

Of career paths ahead of me

I have chosen to use it to teach

Acceptance and independence before hatred.

 

My beliefs may be the same,

But I believe them with an intensity

That can not be feigned

By someone who spends their life

Unaware in a "harmless" bubble.