Takeover
Ruthlessly punishing
Human beings who advocate for
Justice and fairness.
Siding with
Ghoulish defenders of
A toxic status quo.
Fearing a takeover
By people who care about
The common good.
Short Free Verse Poems about the Human Condition
Repeatedly
An excruciatingly unwelcome moment for
Someone who so desperately needs to
Be loved. The unwavering stare of flowering
Affection, the heightened awareness,
Euphoric rush intermingled with boundless
Expectation. The last look, final embrace,
A beautiful story relegated to the past
Before it commences, a memory to be
Replayed yearningly, repeatedly.
If One
Problems are unsolvable
If one can’t envision people
Working together to find a solution.
Kindness is impossible if one
Can’t fathom a world where
People are kind to one another.
Compassion is fantasy if one
Can’t care for oneself or feel
The suffering of others.
I Never Thought
I never thought it would be
You who would betray my
Trust, shred my dignity,
Stain my dreams, scoff at
My pain, inject doubt into
My being. A childish game,
Played by a twitching dolt,
Callously consequential.
Tremors
I didn’t realize at the time
That my being was being
Crushed, image manipulated,
Distorted into disbelief.
Moving hesitantly, beseeching
Help for the most simple of tasks,
Waiting for approval that never came,
Tremors of self-doubt enduring.
Erase my horizons, tell me there
Is no sunrise. I’ll come along,
Heart exposed, eager to please,
Unwitting accomplice.
Suffocated
Raging at the driver
In the next lane,
Listening to an
Anger-filled voice
Exhorting hatred and
Violence on the radio,
Arriving at home to
Shout at his wife and kids,
An existence suffocated
By vitriol, fear, unhappiness,
Unresolved issues.
He seeks help.
Entirely Unwelcome
Just as it seemed impossible that
Something else would happen,
It did. Not wholly unexpected but
Entirely unwelcome, it quickly
Altered everything. Nobody was
Sure what to do but for a lone
Clarion, valiant, triumphant,
Unflappable, ignored by most for
More familiar, mundane hand
Wringing and lamentation.
Shared Second
A lucid dream in a school
Where I didn’t want to be, with
People I didn’t want to know,
Studying at the last minute for a
Test I was unprepared to take,
Trying desperately to enjoy a
Shared second with you.
Tried to talk but kept getting
Interrupted by unwelcome classmates,
Teachers, interlopers unaware,
Visitors arriving unsolicited, another
Instant of closeness interrupted.
A comedy of errors and heightened
Frustration. Perish the moment.
Posture
He’s very self-satisfied
About asking disingenuous
Questions designed to
Deflect from the issue at hand,
Spewing fallacious reasoning
Intended to denigrate sincere people
Rather than addressing
What they’re advocating for,
A posture born of insecurity,
Privilege, and a need to dominate
Rather than listen to others’ plight,
Cavalierly dismissing issues,
As long as they don’t affect him.