Careful now.
Patiently.
Although not new to me,
for you it’s rebranded and it’s uncharted territory.
am doubting myself,
I am cautious about your bravado
and your tone of familiarity.
I am giving you my worse and it’s hard for me
to put it all into words
selected from options already prepared for me.
Although you trained to listen actively,
the balance of power makes me choose the
answer that gives you the most faith in me.

My experience says you are conflicted
and that you have ulterior expectations here.
All roads lead to somewhere and your information
super highway will get jammed into an evaluation of me.
If I knew your motivation the blindspot would be clear.    
This is my raw data, and it is a part of me.
If we stopped for a moment we’d be reminded
I am just a series of choices on a journey
I, the person, the commodity, means nothing to you
What’s the net results of being an asset or a liability?

To provide me with direction?
To extend my warranty
To get me back on the road
with a destination in mind.
Lived experience will get filed
in the classroom of cartography.
Shrug the atlas, oops, it wasn’t me.I am not sure if this can get scaled up,
what is your criteria for sustainability?I look at the tank and see if it’s half full and half empty.
Patience.
Virtually.

I want to get past the curve of that curve
in the road ahead of me
It’s somewhere I’ve never been before
I just want to be more social and be part of the scene.Standing in the kitchen drinking vodka exchanging stories
of the journeys and the places we’ve scene.
I am not the main attraction
I had heroes and leaders before me.
History class was over
then came the buzz of centricity.
That puts me alone in the middle.
You are crowding me.
Out.
Assessing and judging how real I can be.
Empowerment, engagement, equity a formidable enemy.
It’s not about the nomenclature
it’s about being patient
meaningfully.