Which Story do YOU sell? (Spoken Word transcript)
This is one of my spoken word pieces……
Which story do you sell?
Are you the girl who is at all the parties, dressed to impress, with your hair and makeup all did – exuding fierce confidence? Then, when you go home, you cry because no one took your number?
Are you the guy who always talks about how much he loves his wife and kids, how “blessed” he is? Then, when your wife is gone you slide on down to 23rd and slip the 18 year-old on the corner a couple 20s?
Are you the woman who is proud of the sacrifices she had to make to become the first female CEO of that company? Then, late at night, at home – after a nice glass of your favorite red, you pull out that old pregnancy test that read “++” and let a tear fall for the one you sacrificed?
Are you the boy who grew up to be a man? But, really, you never became a man because you never had someone to show you how to?
Are you one of those people who just KNOWS that they have all the answers to life wrapped up in one book? Then, when the that-wasn’t-supposed-to-happen-to-me happens, you don’t have a clue what to do?
Are you that politician who touts about how he voted for marriage equality? Then, when he sees his neighbors Dan and Jonathan walking their beagle, Sadie, down the street, he makes sure to cross to the other side of the street so as not to actually have to have a conversation with those two “perverts”?
Are you that scientist who stands up in front of a crowd and says – with $100 certainty – that you know why that is the way it is? Then, when you come across a colleague’s research that proves how it wasn’t at all the way it was, you belittle and dismiss your colleague’s work, sticking – stubbornly- by the side of error and arrogance?
Are you the physician who takes a vow to keep people healthy? Then, you give them the pills that BIG PHARMA told you to give them – or else – knowing that instead of keeping people healthy, you are signing people’s execution warrant?
Are you a priest who has vowed to be the hands of God on this Earth? Then, when God isn’t looking, you take the opportunity to use those hands to all-at-once, inappropriately touch a young boy and – consequently, destroy, any chance of him ever coming close to touching faith again?
Are you the team that boldy brandishes it’s flashy trophies – showing off all of it’s overachievements? Then, when you find out the trophies are really only gold-PLATED and not REAL gold, you rush over to the guys sitting across the way to try and take THEIR trophies?
Are you the President who says he wants “Gitmo” closed because it gives America a bad name? Then, you go and sign off on near-daily drone attacks where innocent people get maimed or murdered on a regular basis?
Do you say brown, when you mean white?
Do you say dark, when it is light?
Do you say you love him/her, when you don’t?
Do you say you will, when you KNOW you won’t?
Do you sell a story, and pretend it is real?
Even if you did, would you tell me still?
Words & Music 
Careful you don’t become cynical with age, there are a lot of good people in the world too.
I like to think of it as more criticism than cynicism:). If I was a true cynic, I think I just wouldn’t care, but I do. And I do believe things can get better, people can be better…only most aren’t willing to live honestly – creating cognitive dissonance and at the same time, a feeling of being trapped by the lies they live. Freedom comes when we look at ourselves for who we are and own up to it to ourselves first, then to others.
Well now that you explain it like that I can see parrallels in my own life and of those around me. Ín my family I thought it was called selective memory but now I know a new terminology; cognitive dissonance.
Yup, me too!