The Request
Not sure what to
Say when the request
Is made, perhaps it
Signals the end of a
Brief relationship,
But most likely just
Reflects two beings
On different paths,
Neither better.
Short Free Verse Poems about the Human Condition
Raging Fever
In times of insecurity,
They coalesce into agitated
Swarms, screaming for relief,
Yearning for a big daddy to
Come along and make
Everything all right again.
As is always the case,
Someone or many someones
See the glow of opportunity
And swoop in making empty
Promises that soothe the
Raging fever of uncertainty.
Once the horde has been
Seduced, their masters rub
Their hands together with
Glee and prepare for the
Upcoming bacchanal of
Looting and pillaging.
Angry All the Time
He’s angry all the time.
He’s been this way his
Entire life, as long as
He can remember. He says
It’s because he has passion,
Conviction, but it’s
Really about the other things
He’ll never talk about
To anyone and tries to
Pretend never happened.
Narrative
Torrential blasts of vitriol,
Lashing out uncontrollably,
Hastily concocted plots,
Unfounded, unreal, unimaginably
Daft, void of all connection to
Reality, conspiracists weaving a
Narrative of suspicion.
After work, a family gathers
To share the evening meal,
Peripherally aware of the
Encroaching clouds,
Talking about the events of the day
The dreams of tomorrow.
A rabble gathers across the street.
Not Getting His Way
He’d do this thing
When he was challenged
In some minor fashion,
Become really quiet,
Stare with seething
Hatred — you could see
Condemnations whirling
Around in his head —
His face and body
Twitching, contorting
In discomfort, unable
To deal with the prospect
Of not getting his way.
Until
Step by dreary step,
Trying to finish
Something, anything,
When my mind is elsewhere,
In different times
When things weren’t
So complicated and
I didn’t have to handle
So many things at once.
A persistent fog
Distorting my perception,
Unable to see, feel, clearly.
One movement at a time,
Finish one, begin the next
Until the sun rises.
Outward
She says she’s happy. Long hours
Pass obsessing about others and what
They think. All the while a small voice
Deep inside reminds her of events
She’s desperately trying to forget,
Memories time doesn’t smooth.
Continue looking outward where the
Answers aren’t. Seek solace in attention
From anyone and comfort from mistaken
Sympathy. When the world is about others,
It isn’t about you.
Atrophy
Force the public schools
To atrophy so that few
Can accurately discern
The real issues that
Affect their lives.
Create a propaganda
Echo chamber where
Bigoted beliefs are pounded
Into receptive brains,
Willing followers.
Pander to base impulses,
Throbbing amygdalas
Screaming with fear,
Ready to act on
Intentional misinformation.
Blur the line between
Reality and fiction,
Fashion an alternate universe
Where incarceration is freedom,
Dictatorship safety.
Unalleviated
One time, unconditional, unexpected,
Unadulterated by churning insecurity,
Endless pins piercing skin, gradually
Increasing intensity, perpetual lack of
Feeling. Say something, do something
Different, differently, deferentially,
Deliberately aid someone, something
Bigger than you, though impossible.
Puffed chest and blustery proclamations,
Interminable, unrequited, unalleviated.