A group of well-dressed,
Impeccably-coiffed
People relax in a
Posh restaurant,
Enjoying drinks and
Waiting for their order.
A light conversation
Rapidly becomes tense
When someone’s feelings
Are hurt which, in turn,
Causes someone else to
Become incensed, which
Leads to someone else crying
While two others argue
In the corner and someone
Else storms out of the room
On such a fine evening.
So, let try this again,
He says with an exasperated
tone, the same one
She’s heard too many times.
Clenching her teeth,
She smiles and concedes.
Some things aren’t worth
Fighting over.
She plans her future.
They loathe public education
Because it makes it far
More likely that someone
Born into poverty will be
Able to transcend her station
And succeed in life, thus
Presenting an existential
Threat to those who are
Currently in power and
Fearful their reign shall
Not continue uninterrupted.
He doesn’t like or
Understand himself,
So he imposes his will
On others in order to
Temporary placate
Whatever noise is going on
In his head, the urge to
Soothe the inner discomfort
Greater than anything else,
A stunning inability to
See anything beyond his
Own itching needs.
Coercive,
Toxic,
Unaware.
Gnarled hands
Grabbing onto
Anything that lets them.
Sinking into
Authoritarian ooze;
Here’s what we expect.
Break away;
The broken don’t
Want you whole.
Pander to fears and prejudices,
Devise a hated enemy to
Satiate the wrath of the mob,
Incite to violence.
Us versus them,
Someone else not quite as
Human as we are,
Different in some way.
Trash any impulse to
Collaborate with others,
Label them some horrible thing,
Untrue, unjustified, unhinged.
Fragmentation weakening foundations,
Eroding commonalities,
An opportunistic savior
Capitalizes on division.
A new restaurant opens
Nearby and we decide
To give it a try.
Things don’t go as planned,
We likely won’t return.
On the drive home we
Discuss it animatedly.
So, it’s really
Not that complicated:
Just treat other
People nicely.
Don’t step on
Someone’s neck when
A simple kind word
Will do.
We only have this
One fragile planet to
Co-exist on,
Rising or falling together.
Sure, we can selfishly
Destroy one another,
But there are
Far better options.
Do this,
Do that,
It has to be done
This way,
That way,
The way I say,
How it’s always been
Or has randomly developed
Through years of people
Scrambling to hang on to
Power and prestige
At the expense of
Everything else,
Rules smothering
Passion, creativity, life.
No thank you.
