This is my Jar

My life is a jar

Filled with the sum 

Of my experiences 

In some sort of mishmash 

Loosely covered in thin veneer

Every pain is in there

As are marvelous joys

Cataclysmic sorrows

Jubilant victories

Gains and losses 

It’s all in there together

Combined and intermingled

Each vying for prominence 

Each influencing reaction

The mix changes daily

When you discount my opinion

When you ignore my reasoning

When you minimize my history

You crack the jar just a bit

You see me as less me

I am sum of my experiences 

For better or for worse

Bruised, battered, and bandaged

This is the culmination

Of a lifetime of going and growing

This is my jar 

Do not believe the lie

Your jar does not have the right

To tell my jar how I’m supposed to feel

Or how I’m supposed to react

To other’s words or deeds 

This is my jar

These are my feelings

These are my ideas

These are my thoughts

This is my heart and mind

This is my right

This is my jar

I may be sometimes broken

I may be occasionally quiet

I may be sporadically loud

But, do not patronize me 

Do not ignore me

This is my jar

I see

I hear

I feel 

I breathe

I am alive

And, this is my jar

© Ron Simpson Jr. 

November 7, 2020