Todd Matson
He othered black, brown, red and yellow people,
just as he othered his brother from another mother,
his sister from another father and his stepsiblings
from still other mothers and other fathers.
He othered everyone on the other side of the border,
just as he othered those on the other side of the tracks,
along with the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and
other Christians who did not hold his beliefs.
He othered anyone who did not attend his little
bastion of racism, sexism, homophobia and
xenophobia he called a church, along with his
homeowner’s association for allowing others
into his neighborhood he deemed to be riffraff.
He othered any and every fellow American who did
not advertise his politics on their bumper, anyone
in support of reproductive rights and everyone
who did not believe the Second Amendment
should be second to none, including the First.
He othered his other half when she jettisoned herself
from his oppressive man cave to make herself whole
and give her whole heart to another whole person
who could join her to co-create a whole relationship.
He othered his children as they grew strong enough to
break the leash he clipped to their collars, as they became
other than him by giving each other all the empathy,
compassion, respect and validation he deprived them of.
And so it was that as he went about othering everyone
from himself, he othered himself from everyone, until
the only one left to other was the man in the mirror.
And the mirror asked, Who are you?