I pondered my lingering madness

All of my restless endeavors

Considered myself as the valiant bird

Stripped of its wings and its feathers

I thought about love and I thought about hate

The act to create and destroy

Both the anger and sadness that sits on my soul

The balance of sorrow and joy

I thought about jealousy–green as jade

And I sat with my sickening pride

I stood face to face with ego and flaw

My evil and benevolent side

I thought about kindness and loneliness

I screamed at the stars from my roof

Encaged in a world of steel and brick

Searching the cosmos for truth

I stared at the heavens, I cried to the skies

Begged for a definite path

I prayed for a clear direction and got handed a road split in half

I sat and I wondered how sitting in place

Seemed, in part, why I couldn’t decide

I discovered what covered my judgment

The truth—I had buried in lies

I have deduced that there is no use

This inevitable balance of two

I’ll always be split into sides of myself

Confused by which one to choose.

The Aftermath of Unrest is available worldwide on all platforms.
Poem,“Which Side.”
In the book, this piece is paired with the painting “Self Portrait Three,” by Brooklyn based Artist Grant McGrath.
Visit his website to view his artwork.