Elephant Stampede in the Room

Funny story: I wrote this for an art exercise for employee orientation at my new job. As I was reading it aloud over the Zoom call, people were instantly blown away and were literally bowing down to me. Like guys, chill 😂😂😂 Now I’ve got coworkers calling me “The Poet” haha 🪶

I’m drowning from the words left unsaid

Bubbling up in my head

Suffocating from the elephant in the room

Crushing my chest

Choking in the hollowed out

Crimson cavern of my throat

A fucking elephant stampede

And I’m getting crushed by their cruelty

The violence of their silence amplified

By their empty footsteps

Retreating

Would it kill people to give me

Some closure?

Words should be a bridge, not a wall

Not a gated community

Understanding blooms when we

Allow abundant growth

Break outside rigid binary boxes

No judgment, no blame, just open ears

Facing our fears with curiosity

With empathy as our guiding light

We navigate the darkness

Of uncertainty together

Unleashing our crimson-coated tongues

We will set ablaze

Our culture of quiet complacency

And instead of drowning in the silence

An elephant stampede will

Awaken us to reality

A thunderous chorus that won’t

Fall on deaf ears