One outrage after
Another.
No limit to their
Depravity.
Reveling in
Cruelty.
Decency
Upended.
Self-interest
Supreme.
Not a second thought
About the suffering.
The regime issues
Carefully crafted lies,
Methodically shaping
The narrative,
Mocking any dissent,
Labeling the truth unreliable.
To the uninitiated,
Or those who have an
Inclination toward
Absolutism, it all
Seems perfectly normal,
Justified, righteous,
Comfortably rigid,
A strongman lying,
Creating an unreal reality
To circumvent the rule of law.
Looking through the window
He sees only war, perceiving
Everything as a battle,
As something to be won,
An adversary to be exterminated.
“When something bad is
Lurking around every corner,
Ready to attack you,
You have to hit first,”
He mutters automatically.
The world viewed as a dangerous place,
Where everyone is an enemy
Who must be engaged with violence,
Internal turmoil played out in public,
Only one direction to go in.
The words never said,
Situation unacknowledged,
Validation absent,
A continuing cycle of
Missed opportunities and
Absurd stubbornness,
An all-consuming need
To feel important.
In that brief moment
He recognized that
Things hadn’t been as he thought.
People just behave the way
They always have,
With little or no forethought.
All this time spent worrying
It was about him when it really was
People just being themselves.
A sense of relief followed by loss,
So many years wasted,
Many to be enjoyed.
He hopes to himself
That he can one day
Transcend this drab world
Of daily gatherings at the
Same old bar with
The same friends talking
About the same exploits
From high school,
Angry at never having
Left this town to enjoy
New vistas,
Closing hearts and minds
Railing against
Anyone who doesn’t
Share their misery.
It’s a symbol of
Our history which,
Although we don’t
Say it out loud,
Is really based on
Fighting for the right
To enslave human beings
To make more money,
A fair arrangement,
In our dead hearts.
And so we find ourselves
Where we’ve always been,
Ignoring sincere pleas
For peace and love and
Hurtling instead toward
Facile vengeance,
The familiar path to
Collective misery,
Huddled in enclaves
Terrified of others,
Darkness strangling the light.
Don’t give up on the dream,
Remember that we’re
Capable of much better
Than out-of-control
Fear and hatred,
There’s another path and
We’re the ones to walk it.
She changes it,
Doubting herself and
Her abilities yet again.
She changes it again,
Realizing how wonderful
Her talents are.
Continuous fluctuation
Between incertitude and
Recognition, celebration.
