Individuality: The Coloring Book - a poem

Kids color outside lines of coloring book of popular characters. Could be
superheroes, could be cartoon heroes, could be historical heroes. Kids color
outside lines of coloring book. Adult reprimands, say keep inside lines,
later say, think outside box. All life demonstrated to staying strict inside
confines of acceptable behavior. Be who you are, but only if be acceptable
to them. Mixed messages. Popular mechanics deems it fit to keep it all coordinated
to ensure message is properly received. This makes sense. Individuality
is not popular mechanics. Popular culture is creative avenue for making
sense, in fun, heartfelt, painful ways, without inflicting trauma, physical
retribution. Let creativity flourish. Compounded by rules it faults under
weight of a thousand expectations. One or two is fine. Attribute success
in ways they want. Be it monetary or personal fulfillment. Do not expect
expectations to be universal. For what we deem fit here, in Western thinking
is not same for other thinking. Even north to south. House to house. Street
crossing, or border crossing, or thought crossing. Do not hammer home
what is not stringent and necessarily a you have to.

Kids color outside lines. A truth beholden, if you look close enough. Not all
children are destined to be artist. Some are messy. Abstraction should be applied.
America seeks individuality, but whats conformation to set guidelines. Want
uniformity. Individual enterprise as long as it fits in expectations of capitalism,
and its twins. Commerce and competition. Pay for coffee beans, avocados toast,
bubble tea. Give into globalization, but put US first. Temperament needs
to be cleared about what kind of business can thrive. Personal business should
be kept private, unless it is personal business of those that are enemies, and those
that are rivals. If personal business is personal to you, you are granted immunity.
Hold standards for that person over there, but not if they match your political
color. Seems its fine to forgive and forget. Doubt motives of those who stand
by their beliefs, but accept words if it fits your political playbill. You paid
for a show, want it to be predictable and how you want it. Individuality is fine.
Kids can color outside lines, for a time, until a certain age, then we tug and we
pull rubber-like arms to and fro, and say think my way, think this way, and say
this is how it is, and this is how it's so. But, we want individuality. It is maddening
and confusion is prevalent in growing minds.

Kids color outside lines, do it, color wherever. But know eventually someone,
someplace, will say no, color how I told you to, with these crayons, this brand,
in a matter that satisfies ME not YOU.

Kids color. Because all you are are small little soldiers for adults, and in some parts
of world, in some parts, this is literally true.