Intimidate,
Escalate,
Retaliate.
The tools of
The insecure
Tyrant.
Forcing
His hurt
Into others.
They see him as
Different,
Not like them,
Foreign.
They treat him
With savage disdain,
Contempt oozing from
Narrowed eyes.
Nothing off limits,
The only goal is
The annihilation of
The intruder.
Each day passes
More heavily than
The last,
Procrastination being
It’s own catalyst,
Discomfort increasing
Until unbearable.
He resolves to do
Something,
At some point.
Subsisting in the remains of
A town built by a
Company that left everyone
Stranded once the resources
Had been recklessly
Exploited, depleted.
A child and its mother
Walk past boarded-up
Windows on their way to
The hall where she,
Her family, friends, neighbors,
Will continue to fight for
This way of life.
They’ve been able
To do whatever they want,
For so long,
With no accountability,
Complete impunity,
That they bristle indignantly
When challenged in any way,
The arrogance of
Unearned authority.
It doesn’t
Have to be
Us versus them,
People have shown
Again and again
That they can
Live in harmony,
Care for one another,
Behave compassionately.
It didn’t work out,
Maybe because it
Wasn’t meant to be but,
More likely, due to
His penchant for
Trying to force
Something to happen
When it really
Should be left alone
On its own path.
When it’s one of
Their own,
They mourn gravely;
When it’s one
Of the outsiders,
They congratulate
Each other on
A job well done,
The sanctity of the
Clique intact.
