Things never turn out well
When people put their
Hopes and dreams in
Violence, hardness,
False bravado,
Trying to project strength
Where only fear resides.
There are so many other paths
Leading to far more
Beautiful destinations
Than dread,
Places where love is the norm.
You don’t know what
It’s like to be forced to
Be deferential, to
Constantly defuse situations
That could rapidly escalate
Just because someone
Knows he can overpower you,
To have to laugh at
Comments you loathe because
You don’t want things to
Go terribly wrong,
To keep your opinions
To yourself lest you
Bruise an overinflated ego,
To have to fend off
Unwanted advances
Every single day,
To have people sneer at you
When you speak up.
A jovial, friendly sort,
Always a joke or
Smile at the ready.
Back at home,
He rages against
Those people.
Ask him in public,
He loves everyone
And everything.
In private is
Where the truth
Shows its face.
She doesn’t pause for
Even a moment
Before she launches
The attack,
Anger buzzing inside her,
Thoughts clouded by
An overwhelming need
To fight.
The object of her onslaught
Recoils nonplussed,
Disconcerted by the
Abrupt ferocity,
Unaware of why it’s
Happening at all,
Given that this is
The first time they’ve met.
Contrary to what some
People believe,
You can’t oppress a group
That is in power,
No matter how much its
Members screech and holler
And pretend that they
Are victims.
The dominant group
Is just that, dominant.
If you had told me
That that one event
Would change my life
So irreparably, I
Would have laughed at
Such an outlandish
Notion, as I’m sure
I did about so many
Other things of
Lasting consequence.
If only there were
A way to travel back
And implore myself to
Consider other options
Instead of picking up
The pieces for the
Rest of my days.
Stop for a moment and
Think back to a time
When we weren’t fighting,
When we agreed that
We liked each other and
That we were both
Human beings deserving of
Being treated with kindness
And compassion, when we didn’t
Vilify one another to
Appease some internal
Feeling of discomfort,
Some part of us unfinished
That we refuse to address.
I hear you’ve been
Dealing with some
Health problems lately.
Cheer up, I’ve got
A plan to get you
The help you need.
Forget all that confusing
Stuff about single-payer,
What I’m offering is
Vastly better.
Simply take all the
Extra money you have
From your $7.50-an-hour
Job and put it in
One of these magical
Accounts guaranteed to
Pay for almost nothing.
Sitting by himself,
Hoping someone will
Stop by,
Ask how he’s doing.
Nobody does,
They never do,
Maintenance of
Flimsy normalcy
Being much more comfortable
Than reaching out.
They go about their business.
