First shared as a spoken reflection
Anger — you are the invisible traveller.
From house to house,
like the wind,
you cross the world’s streets,
leaving a trail of silence,
feelings of loss,
and unknown misery.
You hide in the shadows,
like flashes of lightning,
striking suddenly…
frying all reasonable thinking
and jolting all hearts
to suffer tears of agony.
O Anger, like a magician,
you know how the act unfolds —
the next five leading moves.
How, when egos are bruised,
emotions swell up
and despair floods all homes.
Every day, an angered boss scorns his manager;
a bruised manager scolds his employee.
An irritated husband comes home silent;
a dismissed wife sits, stewing angrily.
Little John tells Mom, “I’m going out to play!”
Mom angrily smacks him
for not studying instead!
Oh Anger, you are playing a game of tag!
Since Mike ignored something John said,
John tagged a fist — ringing Mike’s head.
Mike, in raging tears, goes to tell his mom,
but no one knows why they’re causing harm…
All are day-walking in Anger’s mirage.
Oh, I’ve seen the magician’s secret trick.
I won’t be fooled and let anger subjugate me,
confined by my ego’s negative state.
O shine the sun of introspection,
not emotion’s nightmares.
Manage your ego’s expectations,
garner situational awareness,
and watch the clouds of anger
gently dissipate.
Anger —
you are no longer the invisible traveller
spreading sorrow everywhere.
You are fiery eruptions of my ego,
and I have no one out there to blame.
Now I am free from endless suffering —
in acceptance and gratitude, I live.