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May 17, 2022Liked by Poetic Outlaws

Reminds me of a line in Dar Williams song, As Cool as I Am:

And then I go outside to join the others; I am the others

Oh, and that's not easy

I don't know what you saw; I want somebody who sees me

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I don’t know the song, but I see the connection. Seems almost in opposition. In the Admit it poem, the problem is the cost of showing up authentically, the door open to being shunned as “abnormal.” The cost of buying into club passwords is self-sacrifice. In the song, passing as normal is easy. The risk is you may miss someone who is capable of seeing your naked self. Very cool connection!!

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I only disagree with the "nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence" part. That's the joy and the synergy of it--it IS by coincidence, but it's the coming together of the random and unexpected that makes for the possibility of the novel and enlivening.

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There is that for certain. I like the flip side - that there are no coincidences. Means every moment of our lives is significant and worthy of attention. No accidents, no accidental people, no accidental random events.

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Well said

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Automatic existence. Club Passwords. The yearning to belong, to be like other people, is strong eh? I wonder how many readers of this poem are ready to admit it? How many resent being reminded? How many think it’s crazy to look at life this way? Anyway, this one reminds me of Auden. https://poets.org/poem/unknown-citizen

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