POETRY: 'The "F" Word' by Ana Hagins

I’ve found myself constantly avoiding situations

due to my F*** of the outcome.

When uncertainty presents itself

I run because “none of the above”

always seems to be the safe and correct answer

when given multiple choices.

People always talk about

having an open mind,

but it’s closed for a reason.

There’s a sense of protection

from the unknown unknown.

When you start to let all of that unwind

then you lose control  over what’s absolute.

You would never truly keep an open door policy

because “good people” aren’t the only ones with legs.

We all F*** something,

but nobody likes to admit it

because they swear it makes you incompetent.

I F*** ignorance

because “I don’t know”

is never an option in a series of answers

to the questions on life’s tests.

Question #1.      What lies ahead?

a.      Nothing.

b.      Something other than what you're hoping for.

c.       You may die tonight.

d.      None of the above.

“Think outside the box,” they say,

but the parameters are there for a reason,

right?  

Ambiguity within its natural confines

is scary enough,

so why over step that boundary?

In here, I am sheltered.

Question #2.      But is being sheltered the same as being ignorant?

a.      Yes, because there’s more out there that you don’t understand.

b.      No, because the unknown unknown is the area of life that you don’t know you don’t know, but in here the known unknown can be learned.

c.       Can’t be determined.

d.      None of the above.

What scares me most

is that the box that I live in,

that I take shelter in,

may also house ignorance,

which ultimately means

that I live in F…

Dare I say it?