You and Me
After all these years
My heart still races
When I see you somewhere.
A shared smile,
A silly joke.
You and me.
Short Free Verse Poems about the Human Condition
Next Step
Today
They find out
That their labor
Is no longer in
Demand.
Yesterday they were
Assured that everything
Would be OK and that
They had nothing to
Worry about.
Tomorrow will be
Another day of
Wondering what
Their next
Step is.
Pendulum
Perplexing divergence,
One person sees
Opportunities to help,
Another relishes
Occasions to punish.
Disparate perspectives –
Vastly different outcomes,
Community or aristocracy,
Consequences radiating from
Personal preference.
Constant tension between
Dissimilar perspectives,
The pendulum swings
Too far in one direction,
People suffer needlessly.
Dominate
He was larger
And more powerful
Than her so,
Instead of celebrating
Her abilities and
Encouraging her to thrive
Using her own strengths,
He decided it would
Be a great idea to
Use his physical advantage
To keep her in bondage;
A permanent cage
Built on fear
Where she was
At his mercy and whim;
A servant to this
Pathetic need to dominate.
Crisis
They take advantage
Of any crisis,
Or simply manufacture
One, to keep the
Populace in a
Constant state of
Heightened anxiety.
Self-appointed saviors
Vowing to keep
Everyone safe
While they pick
Pockets, discourage
Critical thinking,
Hobble society.
A Portrait of Cowardice
He claims to love.
When faced with
Crucial opportunities
To demonstrate it,
He chooses his default
Position, the one that
Requires no thought
Or effort, the only
Strategy he knows.
So many occasions to
Show his concern,
It’s in there,
Smothered by fear.
He puffs out his chest
Indignantly,
Doubles down on
Cowardice.
Use
The retail behemoth’s
Owners scream bloody murder
When it is suggested that
Employees be compensated
Enough to provide meager
Food and shelter for
Their struggling families;
Never mind that any
Pay increase would
Barely dent the vast profits
They suck in every day.
No use paying their
Workers more when they
Can use that money to
Pay off a politician,
Then add a few extra rooms
Onto their fifth giant home.
Marginalized
Having been bullied
And demeaned by them
His whole life,
He takes his inner
Rage and directs it
Not at the people
Who’ve maltreated him
But rather at those
Who have always
Defended him,
Understood his plight,
Shared his experience.
Seeking approval
From cold conquerors,
Devotedly advocating for
And perpetuating the
Order that always
Has and will continue to
Keep him marginalized.
Not long after
His fortieth birthday,
Robert gets an
E-mail to talk to his
Supervisor where he
Unceremoniously finds out
He no longer has a job.
It is at this moment
That his vehement
Railing against unions,
Tenure, worker’s rights,
Comes into acute focus.
He gathers his things
And walks outside.