The best he can do,
Lash out at people who
Never had the opportunities
He did, who never did
Anything but make his meals,
Shine his shoes,
Clean his toilet.
Out of all the choices
Set before him,
He settles on writing
Things to hurt them,
To secure his place
At the head of the table,
And make sure the
Would be usurpers
Don’t get any ideas.
Her house in the
Distance, he wishes
He could have said
What he wanted to
But couldn’t, an
Uncomfortable silence
Filling the room
Instead, the weight of
Irresolution, impossible
To ignore or push aside.
They dismissively state
That peace and love
Are dead,
Were never a reality,
But I know otherwise
Because I see all the
Wonderful things
People do for each other
And the great reservoir of
Kindness that exists
Inside each of us,
Ready to be shared
With our fellow
Human beings,
Building a caring world
Together.
A frightening sameness
To their looks,
Their words,
Their beliefs,
Their passions,
Their ends.
Marching in lockstep
To some concocted lore
About superiority and
Unparalleled greatness,
And the wretchedness
Of their enemy,
There always has to be
An enemy to rally against.
Their inner bonfires
Precursors to the
Inevitable conflagration.
You’re great,
No, you’re great,
I’m great,
That’s right,
You are great,
We’re all great,
All on the same
Level, we recognize
Each other and are
Comfortable,
All broken.
He promoted himself as
An enlightened, educated,
Open-minded gentleman
Who could analyze
A thorny situation and
Deliver an even-handed
Verdict on what was
Really going on and
How it might be handled.
He presented himself as
A wise individual with the
Ability to understand the
World from a variety of
Perspectives, as long
As his proclamations
Were not challenged
In any way and nobody
Pointed out his bigotry.
One small action
That makes a difference
In someone else’s life,
A smile,
Reassuring word,
Listening ear,
Sympathetic heart,
Rippling through the cosmos,
As love does,
Gentle, peaceful gestures
Building upon themselves,
Transforming the landscape.
How to be kind?
The answer is inside you.
So, anyway,
That’s it.
After so many years
It all comes to
An inauspicious end.
No fanfare,
Just unvarnished
Termination.
Hard to
Believe.
He spent his life
Carefully crafting a
Public persona of
Authoritative confidence.
He failed,
Instead producing a
Knot of blemishes
And insecurities.
