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.

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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.

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Unconventional Being - Minimalist Poetry Book by Guy Farmer

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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.

Like Me

Wear your clothes like me
Wear your hair like me.
Wear your beliefs like me.
Drive the same vehicle as me.
Drive the people around you
Crazy like me.
Drive yourself into the
Ground like me.

Who you are, where you come from,
Who you worship is my concern.
What music do you listen to?
To whom do you listen?
Who are you like me?

Diatribe

Eyes bereft of
All feeling,
Standing woodenly at a podium
Denigrating human beings —
Blithe devaluation —
They choose to live in squalor,
Culture of poverty.
Same old story,
Proposing to replace
Meager,
Subsistence assistance with
Nothing.
Rail against compassion —
Programs haven’t worked,
Complete failure,
Spotty results at best.
No new ideas,
The same heartless diatribe,
Let them fend for themselves.

Position

Make sure that you find one
Position and never consider
Another, never compromise your
Principles, never cede any ground.
This is a fight, after all, and fights
Are to be won at all costs,
No matter what the damage.

Watch lifelessly as every opportunity for
Collaboration and conviviality topple
Into the abyss. Stand firm as hopes
Wither and doors close on people’s
Expectant faces. Savor the moment,
There are only so many times you can
Dig your heels in before the hole is
Too deep to fill.