They fight vigorously for
Her right to attend
The school, blaming
Her shortcomings on the
Meager allowances made for
Human beings who have been
Methodically and mercilessly
Oppressed by people
Who see them as inferior
And strive to maintain the
Supremacy they’ve always
Enjoyed over them,
False struggle,
Unearned privilege.
She gleefully tells her
Class of college students
That she’s a proud
Believer in all things
Reactionary,
At once telegraphing
What she believes
And what she fears.
Nobody says anything,
The already indoctrinated smile,
Others sit in silent horror or
Perhaps boredom from
Having heard the
Same tired speech
So many times.
A group of individuals
Gets together to plan
Not the complete domination
Of the planet by any
Means necessary, the
Hording of obscene wealth
At the expense of people
And the planet, but rather
The future of this place
Called Earth, where we
All have the ability to
Help one another succeed.
Shocked,
But accompanied by
A now-familiar sense
Of resignation,
She pays her insurance
Premium, the one she
Was so happy about,
The one that was
Supposed to
Make her life easier,
The one that has gone
Up worrisomely in
Only one year,
Not subject to any
Controls, just like
Everything else she
Has to buy to live.
A barely charismatic buffoon
Captures the narrow
Imagination of malcontents
Who yearn for a return
To the good old days
When they could insult
Anyone they wanted to
And impose their will
On anyone who didn’t
Look like them.
Nationalistic cries
Generating an autonomic
Response of hatred and
Complete lack of hope.
He becomes livid when
Anyone dares question
His authority, unaccustomed
To being challenged for
Even the most reprehensible
Behavior toward those
He looks down upon or
Perhaps never had to think
About at all before they
Got all uppity and decided
To stand up to his cruelty.
A life lived without the
Need to apologize for
Any action, any slight
Uttered with absolute
Arrogance, impunity,
Vestiges of empire,
Purported rights.
Gazing wistfully at
The cassette tape,
Remembering a time
That will never return,
Friends long gone,
Events relegated to
Personal history,
Remembered perhaps
Only by him,
A mix of happiness and loss.
I know you’re scared.
I see the discomfort
Contorting your face
When anyone gets close
To exposing who you
Really are: The broken,
Hurt being who never
Had the love he needed
And was forced to pretend
It didn’t matter,
The gentle person who
Gets trampled so many times
That he loses the ability
To feel for himself or others.
I know you have some
Fantasy about a death bed
Scene where you say the
Perfect thing that makes
Everything okay but is
Just another hollow gesture
Meaning very little to
Anyone but you.
Things were never really
As you saw them,
Pronouncements aren’t
Remotely close to compassion.
Lounging in their
Obscene mansions,
Completely disconnected
From the plight of their
Very own employees
Who struggle to make
Ends meet, to pay for the
Most basic of necessities:
Inexpensive food,
A one-bedroom apartment
For six people, utilities,
Public transportation.
At the top,
They don’t seem to care,
They never have to shop
In their own stores,
Or rub shoulders with
Anyone toiling to
Barely survive day to day,
People become nothing,
Figures on a balance sheet.
