Quotation

“You never know how strong you are

until being strong is your only choice” - Bob Marley

He didn’t actually say it.

I was looking online for the context

and ChatGPT told me the quotation

was commonly misattributed to Bob Marley.

There is no record of him ever 

having written or uttered those words

in any format at all.

Those ‘inspirational’ Instagram posts

were mere simulacra of sentiment – 

nothing more than bogus, a sham.

No one knows where the quote came from.

Turns out, Bob was not guiding me

through some of my own darkest moments.

He wasn’t holding his hand out to me,

telling me no cry.

It was all just empty words.

But then again, words are all I have,

as Boyzone famously said.

Joshua Seigal