He’s unable to be impartial,
Too many things churning inside,
Slabs of unresolved mayhem,
Monsters screaming at him
About how worthless he is,
Misshapen ego craving
Absolute power and control.
Having internalized the messages,
He fulfills the prophecy by
Relentlessly punishing others,
Oozing misdirected self-satisfaction,
Unable to be anything
But what he was told he is,
Perpetrator of injustice.
She comes home
After a hard day’s work
Entering numbers into
A computer,
Staring at a cold,
Uncaring screen,
Figures passing by,
Taking moments of
Her life with them,
All to pay the bills
For those she loves.
She walks in the door,
He gives her a hug
And listens to how
Her day went.
Instead of viewing
Each other with
Hatred and suspicion,
They consciously decide
To sit down and
Share their stories,
Each side learning about the other,
Walls coming down
Through mutual understanding,
Shared humanity,
Empathy superseding blame,
Treating fellow human beings
With kindness and love,
Healing the hurt.
It’s been hard
These last few years,
Not much to celebrate.
She walks down the
Icy street, careful
Not to slip.
The frigid wind
Penetrates her coat,
Increasing her discomfort.
When will things change?
She wonders,
The same struggle day after day.
Approaching a homeless person,
She offers a five-dollar bill
And a smile.
They all say
It doesn’t matter,
Nonchalance covering for
Ambiguity, confusion, fear.
In moments
Away from the crowd,
They know there is
Something else.
For now, they avoid it,
Hoping it will resolve itself,
Much easier than
Having to think about it.
Each day passes,
And with it the opportunity
To acknowledge
What’s missing.
Not a moment’s peace for her,
A self-imposed trajectory
Unimpeded by introspection or
Even the faintest understanding
That maybe things
Could be different.
She’s become so used to
This particular routine,
Refusing to consider any other,
Shallow depth of field,
Never seeing the horizon.
Daunting but necessary,
Sometimes things need
To be shaken up,
Moved from where they
Have been all this time,
Gathering dust,
Helping no one do anything
But remain in place,
Atrophying,
Wondering what happened,
Not doing anything
About it.
Heightened expectations,
Consistent disillusion
Exacerbated by impatience.
Waiting becomes a familiar,
Unwanted companion.
So many other things to
Be done, dreams to be
Fulfilled, moments of joy,
Return to calmness.
Mr. Robin
Comes by to visit.
He looks at me,
I wonder what
He’s thinking.
It doesn’t matter,
I’m just glad
He’s here,
My little bird friend.
