A Poem and Reflection | Danny Diss

Expectation crushing your soul, nodding through the world that assumes so much of you. Your words lost against the tide, unless you spit them with poison and purpose.

But poisonous words left unchecked will tear the fabric of the mind itself. Betraying your every thought until you’re but a husk of past dreams.

All you need to do is avoid the one thing that comes naturally to life and yet society abhors. You must fight back, narrow your mind and use the heart inside you to bridge a new path.

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They say if you stare into darkness and evil for long enough, it stares back at you.

But what if the evil you’re staring at isn’t meant to be evil?

What if you think you’re staring at love and life and joy?

Does the darkness still stare back?

Would you know if it slipped past your defences?

Is evil and darkness part of nature or nurture?

Can you truly be good if you were brought into the world from evil?

What happens to the good when the innocence is stripped away?

Sometimes these questions might keep you up or make you worry or fret, but you shouldn’t. We all have to believe that we are in control of our own situations - in control of our destiny. If we give up that then we give up on ourselves, and who are we if we do that? Do we then just become exactly what we were worried about?

So I say to all the people battling with the darkness and battling with the evil, keep battling. Keep fighting. For every day you fight, you win. For every day you stare at that darkness and that evil and you say ‘not today’ you beat those who forced you to stare at it.

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Danny is a partially deaf data analyst whose passions lie in performing on stage in his spare time. He also loves to play drums, play football and is an avid gamer. Danny uses his eclectic past, his varied interests and his influences to create improvised poetry to help tell stories and create discussion points. You can find Danny on Instagram @dandiss or TikTok @whatdoesdissbuttondo.