Abundant wealth,
Copious success,
Bountiful opportunities,
Doors open at all turns.
Takes time out of busy schedule,
Attends local governance meetings,
Rails against
Programs for the less fortunate.
Compassion gene missing.
A series of people
Helped him along the way,
Fancies it was all him.
She said something that was
Deeply meaningful to her, a secret
Kept for too long at too great a cost.
When it was time, she let it out and
Waited. Uncomfortable squirms,
Furrowed brows, relived memories,
Erupted into slashing counterattacks.
Protect the fabricated narrative
At all costs. Lock the truth back in
It’s cell and mention not its name again,
Harden defenses, change the subject.
A lovely quiet neighborhood,
Peaceful homes tidily arranged
Around a park. Birds sing,
Bunnies frolic on the grass,
Children giggle, flowers bloom,
Trees whisper, neighbors smile,
The sunshine warms everything
It touches, cheerful relaxing days.
Kindness has not visited one home
In a long while. A stern, agitated,
Vigilant, halting settler, inner voices
Barely contained. Imposing angry
Noises on the calm as was done in
His childhood homes. He couldn’t
Wait to leave, now he pays homage.
Neighbors warily pretend not to notice.
Let’s keep it
The way it’s always been,
Advantage us – scarcity you,
We get all the stuff,
You get meager scraps.
Let’s sit smugly on our porches,
Exchanging phony, chummy banter,
One-upping each other,
Reliving past glories.
Not a trouble-maker in sight,
They’re across the tracks
Where they belong.
Neatly manicured lawns,
Freshly painted homes,
Spurious smiles pasted on
Stiff wax faces,
Underplayed horror stories.
What you have to sell,
They don’t want,
But that doesn’t mean
It has no value,
Just that this is
Not the right audience.
Somewhere out there are
People who appreciate
What you offer.
Remember that,
No matter what happens on
Any particular day,
You’re always wonderful.
Making unilateral decisions
Based on self-serving,
Intentionally, maliciously
Skewed information without
The slightest bit of
Awareness or concern for
Fact or fairness,
A system that prizes
Conformity, obedience.
Dead faces executing orders,
Unconcerned, unfeeling.
Faceless behemoth,
Unaccountable,
Cold, unhelpful,
Unnecessarily complicated,
Lacking even the
Slightest bit of
Compassion,
No hint of humanity,
Run by robots.
Happy family home,
Place of calm and solace.
Verdant yard where
Small children play,
Exploring a world of
Limitless wonder.
Humble parcel of land
Unanticipatedly becomes
Exponentially more valuable for
What rests below it.
New player in town
Swaggers in – unambiguously
Asserts its presence.
No questions allowed,
Genuflect to the will of
The cold-blooded conglomerate.
Pockets to be filled,
People to dispossess.
Rage, rage against those who
Don’t threaten you in the least
Except for in fabricated tales
Of conspiracy and apocalypse.
Woe the ills of the world while
Championing those who guarantee
Their perpetuation. Pray for better
Days without committing to them.
Rouse all who will listen.
All is not well. Change is
Desperately needed, as long
As it’s someone else.
