He expects a bow, a curtsy,
A genuflection indicating a
Profound respect for his station.
Any affront to his sovereignty is
Answered with exaggerated rancor,
Swift punishment meted.
A scepter compensates for a
Weak mind and cavernous,
Petty appetite for power.
Though from many different
Backgrounds and life
Experiences, they all share
A single unifying philosophy
Of being on your own,
Depending on yourself,
Becoming successful without
Any help from anyone,
Overlooking the elemental
Idea that we do not live in
Isolation but are more
Connected and interdependent
Than at any time in history,
That we don’t exist
In a vacuum but, rather,
Are all inhabitants of one
Fragile planet where we have
The choice of competing
Mercilessly, savagely
Preying on one another, or
Finding the compassion to
Help each other thrive.
They cackle with delight,
Dead eyes scanning,
Almost disbelieving their
Outlandishly good fortune.
All the controls lifted,
Free to do as they please.
Every sentinel paid off to
Look the other way,
Pretend the intentional
Slaughter is a fabrication.
A carefully orchestrated
Assembly line pumps out
Shoddy detritus destined for
Complacent rubes who
Acquiescently walk up,
Eager to be fleeced by their
Destroyers.
Squeezed from every direction
Until no option remains but to
Join the nameless.
Raging against government,
The parts they don’t agree with,
The measures that help people or
Limit the ability of would-be
Tyrants to trample on others.
Hoisting the flag of the nation
They don’t believe in,
Systematically undermining
All semblance of society
In the name of freedom.
Concocting a government
In their own image:
Brutal, callous,
Selfish, self-serving,
Basic decency absent.
After arduous talks,
An agreement is reached
That attempts to
Decrease the likelihood
Of violent cataclysm.
The same vociferous group
Predictably rants about
How everyone is now
More vulnerable
To future attacks.
Diplomacy complicated
By reactionaries obsessed
With punishment and who
See no other options
Other than war.
Of course we didn’t talk about it.
We never do, never have, never will,
Never mind.
A giant question mark that keeps
You from running, jumping, dreaming
Out loud.
Open your precious gilded box,
The one with all the secrets in it,
Carefully arranged, excommunicated.
Look around furtively, someone might
See who you are when you’re not
Ready for visitors.
She knows exactly what
She makes each two-week
Period and carefully
Checks her bank account
To make sure the funds
Have been deposited.
A finite amount of money
Means careful planning
To make sure ends meet
And everything is taken
Care of, barely enough
To make it each month.
Each trip to the supermarket
Means smaller bath soap,
Less cereal, fewer items
In almost every box,
Her unchanging bottom line
Continually strained.
He sat down with his child,
Who looked up at him expectantly,
For what was billed as a
Friendly game but rapidly
Descended into a sordid battle
To assert supremacy and
Bolster self-worth at the expense of
A trusting, unsuspecting victim.
The merciless vanquishing of
A defenseless bird at the whim of an
Insatiably wanting coward.
Wake up and face the day,
A deep breath of self-righteousness,
Inner convictions bred by
Toxicity and despair.
Many decisions to be made,
People to disregard and marginalize.
Awash in unwavering moral certitude,
Drunk with dominance.
Shun independence of thought,
Nuance, compassion, critical thinking.
Common-sense corrupted,
Contaminated.
A fetid bandage hides what
You won’t look at in yourself.
