Go to Sleep
Close your mind and go to sleep.
Don’t let pesky knowledge interfere with
Hard-fought obstinacy and practiced
Fact resistance. Cherish the slumber of
Those who sleep awake.
Community Organizing
Carefully orchestrated,
Purposefully planned and
Coordinated derogation of
Community organizing.
Chuckling in their suites,
Shaking their heads,
How easy to instigate,
Perpetuate the movement.
Concerted effort
Masquerading as populism,
Passionate followers
Marching in unison.
Keep Talking
What if I told you I don’t care
What you say or what you do
Or how you do it or why you think
It’s the most important thing in the world.
I bet you’d keep talking about yourself.
Absorbed
So absorbed was he
With himself that no
Other person’s needs
Merited even a moment’s
Pause or the slightest
Consideration.
Feverish quest for
Attention and gratification,
A cavernous hole that
Can never be filled,
Consuming all energy
And purpose.
They Closed the Supermarket
They closed the
Supermarket he and his
Family shopped at,
The only one nearby,
The last vestige of
Normalcy in a strip mall
Populated by predatory
Loan places and
Thrift stores.
Now the only store left
In the neighborhood
Where they can buy food
Is the convenience store,
Where everything costs
A lot more and
Stretches their meager
Budget even more than
It already is.
People ask him why he
Doesn’t just drive to
Another store,
He politely keeps his
Response to himself,
It’s just not that easy
To drive when you don’t
Make enough money to afford
A car, insurance, or gas.
Nice Dream
We sit down and
He listens to
What I have to say,
Without twitching,
Rebutting, defending,
Or interrupting,
A scenario that
Will never transpire but
That nonetheless makes
For a nice dream.
So Close
So close to the
Problem at hand,
Failing to see any
Simpler solution,
Though many exist.
Compulsive obsession,
Absolute focus on
Undesirable options,
Unknowingly banishing
Common sense.
A moment of clarity,
Scenario viewed
From a different angle,
Yielding far better
Results, tranquility.
Temporary Assistance
She rages at people
Who receive support
To feed their children,
Keep a roof over their heads,
Remain contributing members of society
Rather than scorned pariahs,
Cast off and left to perish.
She conveniently forgets the
Many times that some person
Helped her in a time of need,
A friend, a co-worker,
A family member, someone who
Believed that she just needed
A little temporary assistance.
Unprepared
Unforgiving,
Unbendable inflexibility,
Aggressive, hardened stance.
Lack of nurture,
Scarcity of empathy,
Shrinking kindness,
Clenched fist of authority,
Enforcing rules,
Unprepared.