Inflated
A flaring
Celestial body
Sucking everything in
Toward itself,
Unable to appreciate anything
But its own existence,
Nonreciprocal,
Alone,
Inflated.
Commemorated
Leading tours of his family’s
Plantation, the owner beams
About how beautiful and tidy
Everything is and how
Happy everyone was about
Working there in the past
And what a great family
They have in the present
And what a wonderful time
Is commemorated by the
Whole endeavor, and not for
A moment does he acknowledge
That it was all built on
The backs of enslaved people
And neither do most of his
Guests, the same ones raving
About how magnificent it all is.
Different Now
She walks the other way,
Even though she recognizes
Him from a distance,
Some things are better
Left unaddressed rather
Than reanimated, causing
Further discomfort and pain.
It’s not so much that she
Can’t handle it but, rather,
That it’s not worth
Expending the energy on
To resolve in any way.
Her life different now,
No need to revisit.
Government
Government isn’t some
Arbitrary concept, some
Set of rules that is
Imposed by an abstract actor,
It’s a reflection
Of the human beings who
Have designed it. If they
Don’t care for each other
And function out of greed
And selfishness, their
Government will reflect those
Particular preferences,
If they care for one another
And value the greater good,
Then their government will
Do the same. There’s no magic
To it, the people get what
They champion or tolerate.
One Less
How easy it would be
To build one less room
In one’s third mega-mansion,
Pass on one additional
Exotic car, schedule
One less lavish party for
Well-heeled friends where
The bill for the champagne
Alone is more than the
Salaries of the staff
Dutifully attending guests,
Go on one less extravagant
Vacation to Monaco,
In order to build a
World where everyone has
A chance to succeed.
No one needs a one-hundredth
Expensive pair of shoes or
Custom suit when other
Human beings struggle
To find their next meal.
Always This Way
It wasn’t always this way,
Things were better
At one point,
But probably not,
Knowing what I know now.
Appearance
Most of the time she’s
All smiles and effusive
Kindness but every once
In a while something else
Appears, a face that
Speaks of needs unmet and
Scores unsettled, a primal
Shriek of pain and
Unhappiness tearing a ragged
Hole in the tenuous fabric
That is her daily appearance.
Death by a Thousand Cuts
Take an eager, hopeful
Middle class family that
Makes enough to pay the
Bills each month and start
Increasing the cost of
Everything they need to live.
Make sure to include
Things they really need
Like soap and toilet paper,
Milk, cereal, bread, cheese.
Keep downsizing everything
While raising prices,
Eventually they’ll notice
Their bank account shrinking,
Vacations not occurring,
Health care postponing,
Mortgage defaulting,
Hunger visiting,
Death by a thousand cuts.
Immune
I see him struggling
But it’s too late,
The poison has already
Worked its way in
Deep inside,
Immune to reason.