Superhero Trademark (2009)

Courage, I remember when I got you
Tattooed on the back of my neck.
It was late, your voice yelled from within
To leave home alone,
To journey toward a new frontier.

For an hour every needle pinch ensured
You were worth the agony:
I finally made it into the Hall of Justice.

Oh Courage, how I needed you then--
My superhero trademark--
Nothing could take me down
My head held up by a symbol
No one could efface.

With strength comes antagonism
So many comic books portray.
Every superhero has a weakness,
A dichotomous cliche.
I was no different than the other no names
Who never left the sketch pad, crumpled up
In the garbage can.

Courage, you were my insignia
Like superman's "S";
My shield from the rogues, the dubious eyes,
The stealthy feet tripping me up, provoking
My demeanor to look a mess.

You were even my disguise from the ugliness
Store windows casted back
As I meandered my way through weather-worn streets
Scouting out an alley where I could take a reprieve,
Just get out of sight.

Never satisfied with my costume,
I had no choice in designing;
Always second guessing others' motives
Not quite escaping without scratches.
What good is a superhero
If she cannot save
Even herself from the grasp
Of Master Disorder?

Courage, you were suppose to be my safeguard
During vulnerable moments
When my armament was softened,
Susceptible to seduction;
Instead, you insisted I admit all
Superheros retire when children
Leave innocence behind;
Symbols mature,
but do they lose meaning over time?

Truth, Love, Justice, Hope
No longer dreams of youth.
Welcome to complex adulthood,
The Halls' demise is proof.

Dramatic?
Possibly, but this is the story
Of Courage coming to be
Accepted by the world even though
They may never see her authenticity.

It’s a comic book fact
Most superheros live a lonely life
Always caring about alleviating the hurt,
Wiping away strife
So many bare without any fault.
The irony rests within the superhero’s chest
Wanting to feel love without needing to protect.

Now Courage you have reasserted your strength
As I look into the eyes of the child I have made.
My lonesomeness cannot remain
Central to my campaign.
I must rewrite the scene:

Little Curiosity is her name
Trying to make sense of her world,
Figuring out her power, her will.
Now Courage must live up to its original quest
To cease living only from the chest.
To experience Beauty, as Plato suggests,
Courage must act with the rational mind.
So Little Curiosity can learn
Her superhero trademark is not a flawed design.