The easiest task imaginable,
Denounce hatred and violence.
He sees things through a filter
Of pain, detachment, habit, privilege.
His father’s voice reverberating
In his head, muttering atrocities.
There will be no healing today,
Nor perhaps ever.
On sordid display, a flailing child,
Tantrum in full progress.
People of conscience
Rising to fill the void.
He doesn’t have a big problem
With paying taxes so
Children can go to school,
Even though he has no kids.
He’s just fine with having
Some of his money going to
Help the less fortunate.
He doesn’t think twice about
Treating people like fellow
Human beings, even when
They don’t look like him.
He just goes about his
Business happily, knowing he’s
Contributing to a greater whole.
A lifeless dinner party,
Superficial conversation
Interspersed with
Large silences,
Tight smiles,
People who can barely
Tolerate each other,
The hostess trying hard
To pretend it’s
All going well.
There’s not much
Left to say or do
When people succumb
To a raw lust for power
Over any semblance of
Decency except to
Stand up and oppose
Such reprehensible behavior,
Making sure it doesn’t
Become the new normal and
That generations to come
See there were people who
Cared about humanity.
A wretched parallel universe
Where bad is good,
Cruelty is celebrated,
Intolerance encouraged,
Subjugation relished,
Reason denigrated,
Facts irrelevant…
Humankind’s worst instincts
Belching forth from
Gaping craters of fear and
Hatred, scalding decency,
Promising more suffering
Until persons of courage
Stand up and shout:
Not here, not now, not ever.
Desperately trying to
Get away from them.
They don’t contemplate
Or comprehend anything
Beyond their immediate needs.
It was always this way,
One person’s wounds
Engulfing another,
Obscuring humanity,
Forced journey to the
Bottom of the well.
She’s really upset
Because she’s had
Everything handed to her
And, this time, things
Didn’t work out the way
She had come to expect.
She’s adamant someone else
Got the type of break
That was always given to her.
Her parents support
Their little princess,
They’ll find a way
To make sure she
Gets what she wants.
She tries to scream
But all that comes
Out is a whimper.
Her whole life
Has been about
Trying to get along.
She reaches
Deep inside and
Finds her voice.
A beautiful sound
Emerges, making
People uncomfortable.
She’s squatting in
This abandoned building
For the night,
Surrounded by strangers who
Have something in common.
She’d like to think that
Someone out there is
Worrying about her, but
She knows that it would
Only be for show, to make sure
The neighbors approve,
After all, they’re
The reason she’s out here.
