From all corners
Of the globe,
The stench of
Inhumanity emerges,
Wearing different clothes,
Speaking different tongues,
Yet always soiled with
Hatred, intolerance, fear,
External and internal violence
Perpetrated heartlessly,
Offering nothing but
Agony, hopelessness, cruelty.
She walked out of my dreams and
Into my van. I did not know her but
She said she was supposed to meet
Me there, preordained happenstance.
Stopping at a dusty convenience store
Purchasing sustenance of dubious merit.
Exchanging pleasantries and searching for
Clarity. Back on the road enjoying the
Wind blowing through our uncertainty.
Quick bites,
Manageable chunks,
Empty platitudes
Satisfy cravings.
Minions inadvertently,
Eagerly doing the
Bidding for plutocrats.
Hone the message,
Muddy the waters,
Reap the rewards,
Funnel the spoils upward,
Perpetuate the cycle.
Close your mind and go to sleep.
Don’t let pesky knowledge interfere with
Hard-fought obstinacy and practiced
Fact resistance. Cherish the slumber of
Those who sleep awake.
Carefully orchestrated,
Purposefully planned and
Coordinated derogation of
Community organizing.
Chuckling in their suites,
Shaking their heads,
How easy to instigate,
Perpetuate the movement.
Concerted effort
Masquerading as populism,
Passionate followers
Marching in unison.
What if I told you I don’t care
What you say or what you do
Or how you do it or why you think
It’s the most important thing in the world.
I bet you’d keep talking about yourself.
So absorbed was he
With himself that no
Other person’s needs
Merited even a moment’s
Pause or the slightest
Consideration.
Feverish quest for
Attention and gratification,
A cavernous hole that
Can never be filled,
Consuming all energy
And purpose.
They closed the
Supermarket he and his
Family shopped at,
The only one nearby,
The last vestige of
Normalcy in a strip mall
Populated by predatory
Loan places and
Thrift stores.
Now the only store left
In the neighborhood
Where they can buy food
Is the convenience store,
Where everything costs
A lot more and
Stretches their meager
Budget even more than
It already is.
People ask him why he
Doesn’t just drive to
Another store,
He politely keeps his
Response to himself,
It’s just not that easy
To drive when you don’t
Make enough money to afford
A car, insurance, or gas.
We sit down and
He listens to
What I have to say,
Without twitching,
Rebutting, defending,
Or interrupting,
A scenario that
Will never transpire but
That nonetheless makes
For a nice dream.
