Trigger Warnings
We live in a world where my poems must be prefaced with:
"Trigger warning: contains Something."
Suddenly the agony that forms Substance is to be treated
like broken glass,
a sign marking the landmine underneath,
in the hopes that will alleviate its danger.
But Poetry is built upon Pain,
like the shock of being immersed in cold water.
If I tell you the ending,
will you still want to stick around
for the Journey?
I have depression.
I have anxiety.
I am neurodiverse.
I am queer.
These are all things society has told me
to hide, to censor, in the name
of preserving the peace.
I have been told not to talk about my experiences
with suicide, with self harm, with addiction.
It could hurt someone.
It could scare someone.
Poetry is my way of sharing my experiences,
a guidance, a light shone down into
the black hold of my mind
in the hopes of someone casting down a rope.
Now, even among my art,
even among like-minded friends,
I am expected to censor myself.
I am expected to predict and anticipate
the reactions of others,
and then prevent them.
But those reactions are what makes my feelings Real.
I want to share what I feel,
even in my darkest moments.
I want people to see my life as it is,
with shock value that jumps out from
behind street corners
and leaves you shaken.
Just like it left me shaken.
I want to be able to share my opinions.
I want to be able to live.
I want to shove the research in their faces that proves
Trigger Warnings are ineffective.
They do not protect us.
They do not prepare us.
They only prevent us
from authenticity.
But I cannot say that.
It would make waves.
It would be disturbing.
So I guess I should preface my research with:
Trigger Warning: contains facts
that might prove you wrong.
Contains facts that might
scare you.
Because Trigger Warnings will not stop the flashbacks.
They will not lessen the anxiety.
They will not stop the self-destructive thoughts
that run rampant in your brain.
You must do that yourself.
With work, with therapy, with time.
And that's hard;
that's scary;
that's dangerous.
We are all searching for a Quick Fix,
and many have latched on
to Trigger Warnings as The Solution.
But alas,
healing is long and slow.
It is not as simple as a warning.
If it was, wouldn't we have recovered already?
Trigger Warnings are an easier solution.
They prevent us from looking inward,
from asking
the hard question.
If Trigger Warnings don't work,
what will?