Dissent is not tolerated
In these quarters,
It is swiftly and savagely
Crushed with severe prejudice,
Anyone advocating equality
Or common decency is
Smeared as aberrant,
Protest is denounced as disloyal,
Suppression and humiliation
Usurp openness and discourse.
Terrified they won’t
Be able to step on anyone
They want to any longer,
Torment people just to feel bigger,
For any reason,
Grotesque hubris,
Hundreds of years
Subjugating and oppressing,
Nothing too extreme in their
Appalling crusade for dominance.
They’ll stop at nothing,
Including the destruction of everything,
To stay in power,
Leering maw of supremacy.
They want all the benefits
But don’t want to share them,
Especially with the brown
People they sneer at when
In the safety of their own
Enclaves, surrounded by members
Of their exclusionary clans.
None of this is new,
People like this have always
Reveled in power and dominance,
Accustomed to reaping all
The rewards while depriving
Others of basic necessities,
And pretending to be victims
When outed for what they are.
After many lengthy,
Fruitless conversations,
Actually arguments,
They arrive at the same place
They’ve always been,
Neither understanding the other’s
Point of view or what’s
Really happening underneath
All the bluster,
No prospect of ever
Changing anything,
Two closed minds.
He assures him that
His infant son with
A congenital heart
Condition will not
Want for affordable
Medical care –
Nor will any other child
Regardless of means –
All while scheming
To deny care to everyone
But the wealthy;
A so-called doctor
Working hard to
Do harm.
The statue was
Put up there to
Remind people of
Their place,
Glorifying a
Sordid history of
Degrading human beings
For profit while
Feigning civility
And decorum.
It’s clear what
Is being said here.
In this one corner
You’ll find works of
Great beauty and depth,
Evoking wonder,
Recounting tales of
Places visited,
Feelings felt,
Life lived.
Ask the artist a question,
There is a lot to be learned
About humanity here,
Knowledge earned through
Experience, vulnerability,
Courage, bliss.
If you’ve grown up with a
Certain set of advantages
It’s natural to not be aware of them,
After all, they were always there,
You could just enjoy what they
Did for you without worrying about why,
Or whether it was fair or not that
They weren’t available to others.
For your fellow human beings
Without those advantages,
The world is a very different place,
One where they may not have access to
The things you did, where they have
To work more to succeed less or
Live under an intractable cloud
Threatening to wash away their dreams.
For those in shadow,
The light looks very different.
They get up each day
And do whatever it takes
To maintain the status quo,
Keep everything as stable
As possible, avoid
Anything resembling courage,
Eschewing authenticity
In favor of familiarity,
Comfort, sameness,
Just trying to make it
Moment to moment,
An ordinary existence,
Devoid of passion.
