LITERATE APE

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Think About Flowers

By Elizabeth Harper

Think About Flowers

DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T CHECK YOUR FACEBOOK FEED DON’T READ YOUR FRIENDS’ POSTS DON’T LOOK AT THE DISTURBING VIDEOS OF THE ANGRY PEOPLE OF THE POLICE BRUTALITY DON’T READ THE COMMENTS DON’T EVER READ THE COMMENTS BUT THEN YOU DID IT YOU READ THE COMMENTS DON’T CLICK THE CLICKBAIT BUT YOU’RE ALWAYS CLICKING THE CLICKBAIT YOU SAY “WHAT? IS THAT TRUE? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? ARE THOSE THE FACTS? IS THERE MORE TO THE STORY? IS THIS FROM A BIASED SOURCE?” AND THEN THERE YOU ARE CLICK CLICK CLICKING AWAY DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WHAT IS TRUTH? WHAT IS PROPORTION? WHAT IS A BIG DEAL? IS THIS A SMALL DETAIL? WHY ARE FOLKS MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT? SHOULDN’T THIS THING OVER HERE BE GETTING MORE ATTENTION? BUT HARDLY ANYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT HOW ARE THE ISSUES BEING FRAMED? THAT’S THE IMPORTANT THING TO LOOK AT DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE NEWS YOU’RE READING THE LONG ARTICLES OH JESUS OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD OH THE HUMANITY OH THAT IS SO SAD OH THAT IS SO OUTRAGEOUS THERE ARE THE PROTESTERS WHO GOT TEARGASSED AND HIT WITH RUBBER BULLETS THERE ARE THE BUSINESSES ON FIRE CLEAN UP INSURANCE THERE’S THE ARTICLE ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON KILLED BY THE POLICE OH IT’S SO SAD GOD HELP US HOW CAN PEOPLE BE THIS RACIST CARELESS CRUEL WRONG STUPID INHUMANE FASCIST WRONG WRONG WRONG THAT PERSON WHO WAS KILLED LOOKS NICE LIKE SOMEONE I WOULD BE FRIENDS WITH THEY HAD CHILDREN THEIR CHILDREN ARE SAD EVERYONE SAYS THEY WERE NICE GENTLE CARING KIND FUNNY GENEROUS THIS IS LOSS THIS IS THEFT OF LIFE THIS IS MURDER THIS IS TERRORISM TO SERVE AND PROTECT MY ASS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS I WANT TO CRY I’M SCARED IT’S TOO AWFUL WHY DO PEOPLE DO THESE THINGS THAT ARE SO AWFUL DON’T THEY KNOW ANY BETTER? NO I GUESS THEY DON’T I’M SCARED THIS IS INJUSTICE DON’T SPEAK FOR OTHER PEOPLE THAT’S NOT RIGHT SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF BUT DON’T MAKE IT ABOUT YOU THAT MIGHT BE HARD TO DO INJUSTICE IS NOTHING NEW I FEEL LIKE WHEN I SPEAK FROM MY OWN POINT OF VIEW OTHER PEOPLE TOTALLY MISS THE POINT DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS IT MAKES YOU SAD IT MAKES YOU UPSET UNSETTLED READ CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND COZY MYSTERIES DO SOME HOUSEWORK CLEAN UP YOUR SPACE CLEAN UP THE CLUTTER PUT THE JUNK MAIL IN THE RECYCLING DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT FACEBOOK PEOPLE ARE AWFUL THE WORLD IS AWFUL DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS THINK ABOUT FLOWERS