Juveniles

Petulant children
Who lacked something
Or were given everything
Except scruples
Walk the halls
Scheming, machinating
Their next step to
Best someone else,
Destroy an adversary,
Twist a truth,
Pervert decency.
And for what?
Money,
Power,
That unresolved issue
That haunts them at
Night but never goes away
Because they don’t have
The courage to fix it.
Perpetuation of turmoil
By broken juveniles.

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The Free Market

The true believers
Writhe ecstatically,
Chanting the free market
Mantra of magical
Companies taking care of
All of society’s ills.
What could be more equitable
Than allowing money-making entities
To run unfettered by pesky rules
That protect people from abuse?

Everything shall be provided,
Invisible hands will appear and
Make all necessary adjustments.
They smile contentedly as they
Watch their two-hundred dollar
A month cable and call their
Friends on two-hundred dollar
A month phones from providers
That don’t have a care in the world,
Least of all competition.

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Relief

I used to agonize about every
Little thing, no matter how
Minuscule, insignificant,
Unremarkable.

Now I save my energy for
Medium size debacles, which
Seem to visit
With similar frequency.

Perhaps one day
I’ll welcome a new visitor
Who offers me solace,
Long-awaited relief.

Hurt

Champions of intolerance,
Waving a flag,
Holding a cross,
Extolling the absolute virtues
Of their constricted mindset,
Gather in agitated herds,
Facing outward to defend
Against the barbarians
Who don’t share their
Antiquated, reactionary
Perception of a world
Full of scary things,
Like people who don’t
Worship narrow-mindedness,
Ignorance, hatred.
The world continues to scream
For a generation of human beings
Who believe in love
Rather than hurt.

Yard

He hid the secret from his
Parents, a lovely couple who
Never made waves but were
About to find out what chaos
Means when his prized pet
Jumped the fence and attacked
Their closest friend in the
Neighborhood. A perfunctory
Slew of incredulity and denial
Followed the painfully foreseeable,
Preventable act only missed
By those who couldn’t think
Beyond their own yard.

Inside

Something’s missing inside him.
Perhaps it’s that his father
Rarely spent time with him,
Or his mother was demanding.
In any case, he wanders through
Life hiding a painful ulcer,
A part of him that never heals.

In every one of his companies
His employees suffer the consequences of
How he was treated as a child.
They toil long hours for little pay,
With no benefits or future,
Enabling him to buy the toys
That will never bring him joy.

Courage

A veil of fear
Falls upon the land.
Outwardly robust but
Inwardly trembling minds
Devise strategies to
Keep everyone scared
To death
Of everything,
Like them.
Pervasive environment
Of insecurity,
A threat around every corner,
Masterminded by cowards
Unable to feel
Vulnerability
Or courage.

Same Thing

It didn’t dawn on me that
Maybe you had a different
Perspective than mine so
I forged ahead with what I
Thought was best and turned
Out to be the worst thing
Possible for someone who
Was hurting and needed
Comfort rather than fixing.
I’ll think twice next time and
Do the same thing again.

Wounded

Arising from deep pain,
Struggles etched into psyche,
Internalized oppression crushing
Innocence – hope – independence,
Self-relegated to subservience.

Awarded the opportunity to succeed,
Leveling of the playing field
Mandated by people who understand
It’s not balanced, lingering specter of
Institutionalized marginalization.

With a dismissive sneer,
Chooses to take the shackles of
His forefathers and clasp them
Back on innocent wrists, ankles,
Wounded and wounding.