Stunningly unaware,
He tramples over
Everything, everyone,
In his path,
Leaving behind a
Trail of devastation,
Suffering.
Not unusual,
Doesn’t like himself,
Incapable of empathizing with
Anyone else’s plight.
Deeply diseased,
Unable to feel for anyone,
Including himself.
Predictable,
Struggling to feel safe,
The monsters visit constantly,
Recurring, unresolved pain.
Turn inner fear and rage
Into outward contempt,
Cruelty.
Having a great day, everything
Falling into place and then something
Happens to make it all go terribly
Awry. Pulse quickens, anger simmers,
Why now? Why Me?
Working myself into a steaming froth,
Begrudgingly shifting my actions to
Address the inopportune interloper,
Callous interrupter.
A continent away, the same event
Attempts to besmirch another’s routine.
She calmly accepts it and invites it to stay
As a welcome friend who adds spice to the day.
A visiting teacher.
Send me to a school where
Mold grows and minds don’t because
There aren’t enough teachers to
Handle teeming classes of souls
Who yearn to grow but are constantly
Written off as incorrigible,
Unworthy statistics.
Move the school out of my neighborhood
When its heat doesn’t work and
Textbooks harken back to the days of
New wave, old wave limiting the chances
I’ll ever get out. Tell me I can’t learn because
I’m broken, not broke. Tell my mother
Her three jobs aren’t enough to keep
Me learning.
Interviewed on
Local news show.
Well-groomed,
Comfortable in
Traditional suit
And haircut,
Mechanically spouting
Fallacious assertions.
Limited government,
No new taxes,
Welfare queens,
Weak tropes expounded
As gospel.
Flood of unfounded
Beliefs further tearing at
Flimsy safety net.
Lies confidently articulated,
Straight face,
Manifest mendacity.
Fuse rage and insecurity and
Project it on those who would
Make your life better. Deny reason
At all costs and incinerate fact.
Smoldering emotional rubble pile,
Blaming those who would help
You heal, show you mercy,
Invite you to love.
Deemed expendable,
Working ten-hour days,
Six days a week,
Sweltering room,
No ventilation,
Making something he’ll
Never be able to afford,
For someone far away
Who will never know
His name,
His dreams,
His hopes,
The toll this all takes
On his body.
A small human being,
Worth less than
A pair of shoes.
Enjoy the trappings of status,
Dominance, power. Have
Fun telling people what to do and watch
Them scamper, beck and call,
Unquestioned.
Surreptitiously informed that an underling
Deviated from what she ordered.
Insulted by the callous disregard
For her needs, indignation burning in her head
New plans carefully drawn up,
Keep the status quo.
Wake up much too early
Each day, get everyone up,
Make bag lunches,
Kids ready themselves for
Another public school day.
Coffee, bagel, shower,
Drive off to a place
She’d rather not be,
If she had a choice.
Smiles at everyone,
Cheeriness born of necessity,
Paycheck in hand
Every two weeks,
Choices to be made,
Shrinking pay requiring stretching,
Making do with less,
Another day on the treadmill.
Exhausted,
Arrive at home, prepare dinner,
Help kids with homework.
Alarm clock rings again.
In a serene wood-paneled office,
He moves toward a large window,
Blankly looks at the
Scurrying ants.
Sorry my kindness didn’t meet
Your expectations, fear gripping
So tightly, no room left for
Alternatives, restricted space.
Sorry my smile sent you into
Paroxysms of suspicion,
Alien threat writhing deep within,
No alternatives to constriction.
Sorry my caution elicited such
Confusion and bewilderment,
Lack of respect brazenly hurled,
No alternatives to entrenchment.
