The following is a mesostic poem for Elizabeth Pellicane’s 4th Block Creative Writing class.

                                                           a Crime unlike most

                               it resides in the vOid oIf your mind

                                    it stays and linGers there

                                                       yearNing for you to solve it

                                                      it splIts your thoughts 

               shattering your self percepTion in two

                                          asking a draIning question over and over again

                                                            Violently wanting you to pick a side

                                             do you agrEe with what you did or what you think?

                                                             Don’t try to lie

                              because nobody belIeves you

                      not your body nor your Soul

                                                      there iS no finding truth in this mystery

                                                              Only creating ways to escape

                                             ways to maNipulate your mind

                                  acquiring justificAtions for your actions

                                                             Never accepting the betrayal

                                                             Caused by the one person you trusted most

                                                       the pErson you see in the mirror

Writer’s Note: Cognitive Dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that refers to a conflict in the mind when a person’s behavior does not align with their values or beliefs. Essentially, it is betrayal of oneself. A person will try to resolve the conflict by either justifying their external actions or changing their internal beliefs.