Short Free Verse Poems about the Human Condition

Yard

He hid the secret from his
Parents, a lovely couple who
Never made waves but were
About to find out what chaos
Means when his prized pet
Jumped the fence and attacked
Their closest friend in the
Neighborhood. A perfunctory
Slew of incredulity and denial
Followed the painfully foreseeable,
Preventable act only missed
By those who couldn’t think
Beyond their own yard.

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Inside

Something’s missing inside him.
Perhaps it’s that his father
Rarely spent time with him,
Or his mother was demanding.
In any case, he wanders through
Life hiding a painful ulcer,
A part of him that never heals.

In every one of his companies
His employees suffer the consequences of
How he was treated as a child.
They toil long hours for little pay,
With no benefits or future,
Enabling him to buy the toys
That will never bring him joy.

Courage

A veil of fear
Falls upon the land.
Outwardly robust but
Inwardly trembling minds
Devise strategies to
Keep everyone scared
To death
Of everything,
Like them.
Pervasive environment
Of insecurity,
A threat around every corner,
Masterminded by cowards
Unable to feel
Vulnerability
Or courage.

Same Thing

It didn’t dawn on me that
Maybe you had a different
Perspective than mine so
I forged ahead with what I
Thought was best and turned
Out to be the worst thing
Possible for someone who
Was hurting and needed
Comfort rather than fixing.
I’ll think twice next time and
Do the same thing again.

Wounded

Arising from deep pain,
Struggles etched into psyche,
Internalized oppression crushing
Innocence – hope – independence,
Self-relegated to subservience.

Awarded the opportunity to succeed,
Leveling of the playing field
Mandated by people who understand
It’s not balanced, lingering specter of
Institutionalized marginalization.

With a dismissive sneer,
Chooses to take the shackles of
His forefathers and clasp them
Back on innocent wrists, ankles,
Wounded and wounding.

Disheartenment

Living a hardscrabble existence
Regardless of wealth,
Perceiving the world
As infinitely dangerous.

Nothing will change his mind,
A worldview burned into
His being, inseparable from
Self-image, identity.

Violence, darkness,
Gaping, weeping wounds,
Debilitating fear,
Disheartenment.

Missing

So, anyway…
I’ve had this weird pain
In my side for quite a while and
I asked my boss if I could
Go have it checked out.
He told me in no uncertain terms
That it was an inconvenience and
My pay would be docked.

I went to a doctor…
So much money for just
Sitting there waiting forever and
Only being seen for a couple minutes.
No coverage at work so
It comes out of my pocket,
Wonder if they’ll be mad at me
For missing a couple hours.

Skewer

He used to effortlessly
Skewer them with irreverent,
Joyously witty, satiric commentary,
Bringing down the haves
With a single clever line,
Speaking truth to power.

At some point something changed.
Eyes dead, demeanor cold,
Disjointed, rambling, uncomfortable
Harangues against the vulnerable.
Selling his soul to fear,
Shilling for his new masters.

No Use Arguing

As always,
There’s no use arguing,
He’s not seeing
The issue from a
Rational perspective,
Mired in fear,
Listening skills limited
To non-existent
On the best day,
He hangs onto
Assorted fantasies
Because they prop up
His sense of himself.