He was the insecure kid,
The one who always craved
Attention but could never
Get enough to feel at peace,
A broken, fragile being
Who became a bully
To cover up the trauma,
His parents shouting at him,
Telling him he wasn’t good enough,
Demanding he toughen up,
The sting of judgment,
Absence of unconditional love,
Merciless indoctrination,
Monitored, managed, controlled,
Robbed of his trust and innocence,
Creating a wound he would
Never find the courage to heal.
He sees them as inferior
Because, if they weren’t,
Then they would threaten
His power, status, dominance,
Supremacy.
It’s always been this way,
Him on top, them on the bottom,
Just as it should be,
No need to change things,
That would just make it
More difficult for him.
After her second shift
Today, she stands in
Line at the grocery
Store, the kind where
No one is buying
Extravagant luxury items,
Just dull, unremarkable
Staples made especially
For people without means
Who have no other choice
But to bear whatever is
Tossed at them, knowing
That endless opportunity
May exist somewhere but
Doesn’t show its face
Around here very often.
Please stand perfectly still as
I do my rehearsed dance.
I will not take no for an
Answer. Enjoy the view and
My amazing dancing style.
I’m looking good, huh?
You know you love spending
Time with me.
It’s great to be able to hang out with
Someone as wonderful as me.
I know you enjoy watching me
Kiss my muscles.
I wrote this song. Not really but it’s
The type of song I’d write.
Let’s get out of here and go back
To my place.
Yeah, my mom’s house.
Their ultimate goal
Has always been rule by
An aristocracy.
To get there they have to
Convince vulnerable people to
Vote against their own interests.
It must be done without
Letting their victims know
It’s happening.
They devise a concerted
Campaign of obfuscation and
Disorientation.
They demonize various groups,
Categorizing them as
Evil, foreign, other.
They starve vital institutions
And then blame it on a
Failure of government.
They wave flags and
Appeal to raw
Nationalism.
They exploit the very
Fear and uncertainty
Their own policies engender.
They set up a
Media apparatus that
Constantly blares the message.
The opposition does nothing
To stop the onslaught,
Providing no counterbalance.
A bewildered, angry mob rises,
Making desperate choices
Based on blatant misinformation.
Another opportunity to
Automatically, insistently,
Force his beliefs on someone else,
Unwilling to entertain that
Not everyone shares his zeal,
Or wants to.
Each person he comes into
Contact with presents
A new chance to force
Another heretic to
Conform, genuflect,
Submit to his way of not
Understanding the world.
He chuckles at how
Devoted and pure he is and
How dirty everyone else is.
Imagine what it’s like to have
One event completely transform
You, irrevocably, implacably,
Without any chance of
Change or adaptation,
A grim, remorseless trudge
Toward sordid climes where
People force wounded smiles.
Pretending to live.
Able to choose
Any number of positive ways
To behave,
He decides it best
To be confrontational,
Unpleasant,
His needs not met
To his satisfaction,
Moving between interactions,
Spreading conflict and
Unease,
No one ever measuring up.
A stranger smiles at her;
She tenses up with anger,
Reliving those crushing
Moments when a smile
Served as a taunt,
A belittling punch to
Keep her in her place,
Anesthetize her joy,
Until she’s ready.
