The 99 Percent

Wake up much too early
Each day, get everyone up,
Make bag lunches,
Kids ready themselves for
Another public school day.
Coffee, bagel, shower,
Drive off to a place
She’d rather not be,
If she had a choice.
Smiles at everyone,
Cheeriness born of necessity,
Paycheck in hand
Every two weeks,
Choices to be made,
Shrinking pay requiring stretching,
Making do with less,
Another day on the treadmill.
Exhausted,
Arrive at home, prepare dinner,
Help kids with homework.
Alarm clock rings again.
In a serene wood-paneled office,
He moves toward a large window,
Blankly looks at the
Scurrying ants.

Alternatives

Sorry my kindness didn’t meet
Your expectations, fear gripping
So tightly, no room left for
Alternatives, restricted space.

Sorry my smile sent you into
Paroxysms of suspicion,
Alien threat writhing deep within,
No alternatives to constriction.

Sorry my caution elicited such
Confusion and bewilderment,
Lack of respect brazenly hurled,
No alternatives to entrenchment.

Far Brighter

He hated her so much,
Probably because she could
See right through him,
To that place where
He was exposed and vulnerable,
Unable to get by on mediocrity or
Pretend his way out,
Where transcendence matters,
And stars shine far brighter
Than he ever would.

Strife

Ominous drums in the distance,
Perpetual bellicosity,
Continuous heightened alert,
Duck and cover
Regardless of actual threat.

Arouse hysteria,
Deflect attention from
Vast resources coursing
Into deep complex pockets,
Conflate with patriotism.

Countless homes disintegrating,
Children lacking sustenance,
Families crumpling to their knees.
Another extravagant instrument of
Strife rolls off an assembly line.

Fog

A heavy fog rolls down the street
Hugging every object along
It’s silent path. A figure appears
Momentarily and vanishes.
Memories and regrets replaced by
More pressing concerns.

Weeding Out

Reveling in their
Ordinariness,
Smug about their
Unsettling ability
To celebrate the
Mundane,
Exalting the typical,
Keeping everyone at
The same level,
Bland,
Compliant,
Weeding out those who
Don’t conform.

Whom We Serve

Handsome young couple,
Loving, caring, thoughtful,
Tax-paying citizens,
Doting parents,
Well-educated,
Productive members of
The community,
Walk into a universe
Steeped in dogma,
Fear, anxiety, unease.
Suspicious glances presage
Overt taunts, open derision.
How dare you show
Yourselves in a decent
Place like this,
Take your perversion
Somewhere else,
This is a righteous
Family establishment,
We choose whom we serve.

Many People

Many people said he wouldn’t succeed and
He didn’t because he listened to them.
Many people said she wouldn’t succeed and
She gave up because she believed them.
Many people said they wouldn’t succeed and
They discarded their vision.

Many people say all kinds of things,
Preferring to reside on the periphery of
Vulnerability and courage rather than jump in
The maelstrom and prove their mettle.
Easy to hold someone back when you’re
Already behind. Avert your ears.

Philanthropy

Fawning fanfare,
Large endowment to
An institution
Solely benefiting
Those with access,
Dubious magnanimity.
Qualified selective giving,
Hearty pat on the back,
Enlarging a castle
Only a few can enter,
Exclusive membership club.
Generosity preserving
De facto demarcations,
Philanthropy of inequality.