Values

At the point that
You’ve got a group of
People refusing to
Fund education for children,
Gloating about it
Without a hint of shame,
You realize that the
Situation is more dire
Than one might have imagined,
That people can lose the
Part of them that
Cares for others and
Values the common good.

The Easiest Task Imaginable

The easiest task imaginable,
Denounce hatred and violence.

He sees things through a filter
Of pain, detachment, habit, privilege.

His father’s voice reverberating
In his head, muttering atrocities.

There will be no healing today,
Nor perhaps ever.

On sordid display, a flailing child,
Tantrum in full progress.

People of conscience
Rising to fill the void.

A Greater Whole

He doesn’t have a big problem
With paying taxes so
Children can go to school,
Even though he has no kids.
He’s just fine with having
Some of his money going to
Help the less fortunate.
He doesn’t think twice about
Treating people like fellow
Human beings, even when
They don’t look like him.
He just goes about his
Business happily, knowing he’s
Contributing to a greater whole.

Lifeless

A lifeless dinner party,
Superficial conversation
Interspersed with
Large silences,
Tight smiles,
People who can barely
Tolerate each other,
The hostess trying hard
To pretend it’s
All going well.

Generations to Come

There’s not much
Left to say or do
When people succumb
To a raw lust for power
Over any semblance of
Decency except to
Stand up and oppose
Such reprehensible behavior,
Making sure it doesn’t
Become the new normal and
That generations to come
See there were people who
Cared about humanity.

Not Here, Not Now, Not Ever

A wretched parallel universe
Where bad is good,
Cruelty is celebrated,
Intolerance encouraged,
Subjugation relished,
Reason denigrated,
Facts irrelevant…
Humankind’s worst instincts
Belching forth from
Gaping craters of fear and
Hatred, scalding decency,
Promising more suffering
Until persons of courage
Stand up and shout:
Not here, not now, not ever.

Open

Open your mind, open your heart.
Open the door to places uncontemplated.
Shed assumptions about a
World of fear. Thrive, flourish,
Nourished by courage and hope.
Cling to future rather than past.
Heal ingrained, untended wounds.
Move forward into the light.

Slide

It’s not that funny when you’re the object of
Scorn and manipulation, subtly executed.
Stand right here for eighteen years,
I’ll show you what it’s like.

Difficult to make out any one thing let alone
Remember the specific time I failed under its
Growing weight. Slow motion immobilization.

Come now, I’ll tell you more about it.
Let us relive those glory days when,
Big as a mountain, you saw fit to
Slide into the valley silencing all
But your conscience.