Are You My Mother?

Are you my mother?
Or a figure that moves in the dark
Are you my sister?
Or a ghost that frightens the hall
Are you my comrade?
Or do we fight for the opposite side
Are you my lover?
Or a wolf in a clever disguise

Are you my old friend?
Or more like a dark distant star
I’d send you a message
But you can't be bothered to pick it apart
Is it illegal?
No, it's not fair or for them to decide
What is considered equal
& what gets left in the valley to starve

It's their institutions that set us up
To distract the present & not disrupt
To never ask questions with the TV on
To learn to feel nothing til the feeling is gone

Do you seek shelter?
In this era of scarce privacy
Do you fiend status?
As you cave with the economy
Do you want diamonds?
Or did you find fortune inside of your heart
Do you think beauty
Is something you swipe on a dead credit card?

It's their institutions that set us up
To distract the present & not disrupt
To never ask questions with the TV on
To learn to feel nothing til the feelings gone