The Accumulation That is I

Afraid of the lights in the eyes of another

Unbearably bright and too curious for comfort, they are

Seeking out intrinsic properties

Wholeheartedly ignorant of the fallacy               

     For,

I am the "me" that you expect to see

Along with countless other versions, each

Effortlessly switched, promoters of contradiction

Thoughtless of the mental process and self trepidation

We share an outlet, a voice, physical manifestation, and

One at a time we manipulate the puppet strings

We are multiple people in a day, vaguely grasping that

Each personality is a fling, dependent upon company

I am merely an accumulation, that is I

But which one, if not all, is a lie?

Reviews

[S Sanders]

The title caught my attention first and goes perfectly with the overall concept and theme of this poem. There are lines that I dig, such as: Unbearably bright and too curious for comfort, they are seeking out intrinsic properties. (So true of people) And then the "countless other versions,...effortlessly switched, promoters of contradiction." Think we all feel that way sometimes. Kudos on this poem. Deep, truthful, and thought provoking. BTW, I once read--I think in a Lisa Jackson thriller--that we all have at least three selves: our public self, our inner self, and the self we have yet to discover.