belief systems poems

His lips barely moved
His voice rolled
Through heavy syrup
The thick accent
Bound him
To his southern heritage
Such hate
Fell from his lips
A series of stereotypes
Values I could not endorse
I was uncomfortable
Rejecting his opinions
From deep
In the well
Of my consciousness
I tried to keep quiet
To mark his ignorance
With the resolve
To remain mute
To let others speak
To the infamy
Of his words
But no response
The quiet
Scalding me
Questioning my own betrayal
Of my deep-seated beliefs
A sickening ball
Of frustration
Formed in my stomach
I felt my muteness
Untangling
As the belly knot
Grew tighter
I was speaking now
Challenging him
My body
Shaking with rage
I could not control
The eruption
The lava of rebuke
pouring out of my mouth
Scalding his stupidity
Words I tried
To hold back
Words that
Leave a distance
I cannot walk back
We dangle
In the air
Of disagreement
The ground beneath
Us gone
Any commonality
Crashed and burned
In the car wreck
That was our friendship