They see themselves
As the chosen ones,
Which unfortunately
Always seems to mean
That someone else is
Not quite as special.
Thus begins a campaign
To assert their supremacy,
To put others down
In order to buoy their
Own status or sense of
Self-importance.
A never-ending cycle of
Feeling superior and
Fighting rabidly to
Maintain their position
Regardless of how it
Tears up the world.
Pretending
That everything
Is okay,
An empty
Charade,
Much like
The rest of
Their lives.
How easy it is
To dismiss an
Entire segment of
The population,
Of human beings,
By simply saying
That they’re lazy,
Or that they’re
Lucky to get the
Pittance they receive
To barely subsist
Instead of meaningful
Opportunities to
Succeed on their own,
Or that they should
Just go out and get
A job when there
Aren’t any.
Tough talk is cheap,
Real solutions require
Nuance and compassion.
The conflict
Came to a boil
Quickly and was
Dealt with in a
Clandestine,
Inequitable,
One-sided manner
By people
Engorged with
Their own power
But without
The ability to
Do anything
But perpetuate
Strife and
Dysfunction.
A sticky web of
Interlaced interests
Colluding to stack
The deck against
Unsuspecting people
Struggling to make it
Day to day, and who
Have no time to dissect
The vagaries and minutiae
Required to gain entry
Into the exclusive club
With the wood-paneled walls
And oversize leather chairs,
Where cigar-smoke-wreathed
Movers and shakers wink
Knowingly at one another
While making absurd deals.
Look away.
Nothing to see here.
Please don’t bother us
While we do things
To make your life
Miserable.
Sitting in a stifling classroom,
Looking out the window,
The occasional visitor
Walking resignedly
Toward the office,
A bird flying by,
Glad it’s not in this
Algebra class,
Reveling in its freedom.
An intense stare confirms that
The clock is barely moving
And that the subject at
Hand is all but unbearable,
Incomprehensible to some minds,
Though nobody seems to care.
Neil is an autoworker
And is clapping joyfully
On election night as
He watches his favorite
Candidate (the one who
Champions Right to Work laws)
Pull ahead in the polls,
The likely winner of a
Hard-fought campaign.
When he takes office,
Auto assembly line workers,
And everyone else,
Will not be able to organize
Against the whims of
Their employers
(The very thing that helped
Build the middle class)
Earn a respectable wage,
Buy a house, a car,
Support a family,
Put a kid through college,
Live with some dignity
Instead of as prey for
An insatiable corporation.
Facing each other
In a quiet room,
She lets her guard down,
Talking about things
That haven’t been
Allowed to surface before.
He interrupts her,
It being more important
To show how wise he is
Than to simply listen.
