If i must swallow my
education
for misguided
opinion,
If i must digest my
experience
in solitude and
silence,
If i must curl up
the corners of my mouth
into a smile and swallow the truth
(just to please you).
Then i’d rather not be invited
(for a seat at your table).
A single seat at your table has not meant inclusivity,
and swallowing myself whole will be my defeat.
-I politely decline
--
Lyn Patterson is a poet and flash fiction writer originally from Seattle, Washington. She has lived all over the east coast and currently travels while teaching online courses to aspiring reading teachers. She is inspired by poetry and flash fiction because of the creativity, healing, and reflection it provides both author and reader. Themes she explores are intersectionality, feminism, identity, non-western religious beliefs, and relationships in the digital age. She is currently working on her debut manuscript while salsa dancing every chance she gets.
