Unconsciously following
What he thinks is his brain
But is really just the
Manifestation of hurts
Wedged in there by people
Who meant well but didn’t
Have a clue what it was
To help a human being
Become whole rather than
An animate patchwork.
You, lovely people,
Surfing the web
Late at night,
Or during the day,
Or anytime at all,
For any reason,
On any device,
Rest assured that
We’re taking good
Care of you.
We have a record
Of everything you’re
Doing on there,
And you can trust us
To not use it in
Any weird way.
Please remember we’re
Only doing this for
Your own good,
Because the world is
So scary and we
Have to keep you safe
From our conveniently
Fabricated threats.
If there is a path to kindness,
They will find a way to
Destroy it. If something
Can be done to make others’
Lives easier, It will be ignored.
When someone needs help, they’ll
Be sure to ignore the call,
Blame the victim, nothing being
More important than protecting
Their own narrow interests.
Because of the extraordinary
Pressure she had always felt
To fit in, be one of the group,
Do what was expected of her,
She questioned herself at
Every turn, wondering if her
Sense of direction was broken
While, the whole time,
Her inner compass awaited for
The day she’d decide to
Follow her own course.
They see themselves
As the chosen ones,
Which unfortunately
Always seems to mean
That someone else is
Not quite as special.
Thus begins a campaign
To assert their supremacy,
To put others down
In order to buoy their
Own status or sense of
Self-importance.
A never-ending cycle of
Feeling superior and
Fighting rabidly to
Maintain their position
Regardless of how it
Tears up the world.
Pretending
That everything
Is okay,
An empty
Charade,
Much like
The rest of
Their lives.
How easy it is
To dismiss an
Entire segment of
The population,
Of human beings,
By simply saying
That they’re lazy,
Or that they’re
Lucky to get the
Pittance they receive
To barely subsist
Instead of meaningful
Opportunities to
Succeed on their own,
Or that they should
Just go out and get
A job when there
Aren’t any.
Tough talk is cheap,
Real solutions require
Nuance and compassion.
The conflict
Came to a boil
Quickly and was
Dealt with in a
Clandestine,
Inequitable,
One-sided manner
By people
Engorged with
Their own power
But without
The ability to
Do anything
But perpetuate
Strife and
Dysfunction.
A sticky web of
Interlaced interests
Colluding to stack
The deck against
Unsuspecting people
Struggling to make it
Day to day, and who
Have no time to dissect
The vagaries and minutiae
Required to gain entry
Into the exclusive club
With the wood-paneled walls
And oversize leather chairs,
Where cigar-smoke-wreathed
Movers and shakers wink
Knowingly at one another
While making absurd deals.
