All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Setting Principle Straight
“It’s a matter of principle,” she said.
Principle is unspoken rule is unbound bind is “blood runs thicker than water.”
But blood is what ran down her face and shot his eyes.
Water is what soothed the cuts and mellowed the ache.
Blood spreads thick but pain,
Misery,
“What do I owe you’s” tie deeper than blood.
That reality became a nightmare became “Let’s look past it”
Became “Let’s not speak of it”
Became it doesn’t matter anymore…to you.
I can’t “please try” and pardon
What should have been controlled and is now victimized
And what scares me for you.
The strength that I am supposed to admire and resemble
Waned into the weakness of what is love.
But anger poisons and kills and
Cuts the debt and splatters the blood.
It shades my vision rouge
And shakes the hands that want to cause destruction,
Finally show the pain that I had to hide behind “principle”
“It’s a matter of principle” is backfired by
“It’s lies”
And is buried under “I cannot explain”
It twists into “I can’t see the same way” and waxes on regrets and tearful soliloquies.
But reasons and memories can no longer explain the rage
And what didn’t happen is not what I can look forward to.
“It’s principle” has answered to “Why?”
And led to “I choose not to.”
It ends in “I can’t forgive you because I cannot understand.”

Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 2 comments.