It’s become some
Sort of sick joke,
Essential staples becoming
Cheaper, smaller,
A brazen ripoff.
In some opulent room in
Another vainglorious high-rise,
A group of self-satisfied
Men in tailored suits
Justify their existence by
Reducing the size of
Vital necessities.
They break for lunch,
Boasting about how they
Just scored some more
Money for the one percent,
Squeezing and discarding
Everyone else.
All these years
Thinking things were
A certain way,
Only to find that
He was completely mistaken.
Novel insights
Brought about by years of
Self-examination,
Concerted shift in
Thinking over time.
Swirling feelings of
Loss and anger,
Relief and hope,
New opportunities unhampered
By obsolete patterns.
Look at me, look at me.
I want to be seen, I want to be seen.
Here’s my cat, here’s my cat.
I’m drinking coffee, I’m drinking coffee.
I’m so down, I’m so down.
I’m so up, I’m so up.
Message me, message me.
Talk to me, talk to me.
Are you there? Are you there?
I’m here, I’m here.
Look at me, look at me.
How easily he forgets
That success is very often
Not the result of pluck,
Or toil, or self-determination.
Talking to a group of colleagues
In an opulent board room,
The grind of the outside world
Doesn’t show its gnarled face.
Smug in their affluence,
Brash movers and shakers,
Out on the streets but
For the whim of fortune.
Deposit your hard-earned
Money with us,
We’ll take care of you.
By the way,
There’s a minimum balance
Required to keep your account open.
There’s a fee
If you dip below the balance
At any time, for any reason.
We should mention that
There’s a charge
For using your debit card.
Oh, there’s also a
Fee if you use the ATM
More than a couple of times.
Rest assured, we’ll make sure to wait
To deposit your funds to increase
The chance of overdrafts.
We love to charge you
To use your money
To enrich ourselves.
Thank you for
Banking with us,
We appreciate your business.
A vocal minority
Works tirelessly
To eradicate
Compassion
Empathy
Kindness
Community
From the lexicon.
Decisions made
By militant
Misanthropes
Affecting
Millions
Who value
Caring for
Others.
A radio show host
Poses a question about
Whether we are
Being taxed
Too much.
One caller says that
He works hard for
What he’s got and
Why should he give it
To someone else.
Another caller says
We’re all in it
Together and why
Not help one
Another.
Dramatically divergent
Worldviews.
One lifts all boats,
One sinks them,
Different outcomes.
Eventually pulling back,
Putting some distance
Between him and the chaos,
Disorienting cacophony of
Scattered turmoil,
Confused muttering,
Rash reactions to undefined
Challenges, seeing the
Spectacle for what it is,
The disorder of wounds
Unhealed, dictating reaction,
A whirl of activity
Leading nowhere but distress,
Arriving at different points
For disparate reasons.
A thoughtful discussion about
An appalling transgression.
He stands up and offers
A few purposeful words
Reflecting a near-total
Lack of empathy or
Understanding of the
Plight of others.
In his mind,
All wrongdoing is justified
When one utters the words
Personal responsibility.
A collective hushed sigh
From an audience that knows
He doesn’t get it and,
Sadly, never might.
The near impossibility of
Teaching the indoctrinated,
So sure are they of
An alternate reality.
