Poetry

Three

If I Were a Superhero

A hero is defined as a person who is brave
They help others without being asked
A hero is a person who is selfless, and they care for others
They would die helping or protecting or saving someone

A superhero is defined as a fictional person who has inhuman abilities
Their abilities aid them in protecting their town, city, or planet
They would die protecting or saving their people

I wish I could be a person like that
So selfless and caring
Someone who protects without being told to
Someone who could care for strangers so easily
I suppose I just wish I could be a hero

But I'm not like that
I'm not that person
I'm not a hero
I'm not a superhero
but what if...

If I were a superhero

Sorry wait no
first I should say what power or ability I would have to help the citizens of my city
If you ask me the question of 'What Superpower would you have if you could have one?'

I could have a multitude of answers
because well
I could have any power I chose to
Typically
I would say invisibility, or time travel
something along those lines
Invisibility so I could hide away from my problems
Disappear without a trace
I'd choose time travel so I could change time
I would erase my issues from ever existing
Maybe, maybe even change my life in general

See neither of those reasons are really very selfless
I wouldn't use my power or powers for good, at least if I could choose what my power was
But, would you?
Would you choose a power specifically to help others?

Some would likely say yes
They'd choose their power and say what they'd use it for
"Strength so I could destroy the bad guy"
"Flight so I could fly to save the day"
"Speed so I could run fast and save the people"

Now you may see those as typical and easy answers
Maybe something you would say
I see hidden messages inside those answers
"Strength so I could destroy the bad guy in my story, maybe I could finally be strong enough"
"Flight so I could fly away and escape all issues I have, I could be free"
"Speed so maybe, maybe I could run fast enough that I could get away, escape all that hurts me"

Maybe I'm looking too far into this,
maybe I got it completely wrong
But what if I got it right?
Maybe we aren't all as selfless as we make ourselves out to be?
For the others who wouldn't choose a power specifically to help others
Your responses I assume would be similar to mine, or the second version of those other answers

Or there could be some who would simply say a power because it's "cool"
Perhaps they wouldn't like to confess to the fact they wish they could be something greater than they really are

Because that's what all these answers are right?
They're personifications of what we wish could be, what we wish we could have to help ourselves

Or maybe
I'm looking too far into this

If I were a superhero

I would have a different ability than invisibility or time travel
I would
I would have the ability to take the pain away from others
Specifically mental pain
I would take it away and contain it in myself

That may seem selfless to you
But my reasons for that power are not
Because I know deep inside me that that ability
would simply be an excuse for my own issues
Maybe if I had everyone else's pain
I'd have a reason for my own

Because no matter what I'm told
No matter what I tell myself
I will never find my issues truly valid

I imagine that no matter what everyone tells themselves
No matter what they tell others
Their reason will not be selfless like the character they play

Because in each of our graphic novels
We have our own adversaries
We want to fight off and get rid of those adversaries
Even if it's in a make believe story where we pretend to be the person we present to the people around us

Or maybe I'm looking too far into this