Her Voice
She tries to scream
But all that comes
Out is a whimper.
Her whole life
Has been about
Trying to get along.
She reaches
Deep inside and
Finds her voice.
A beautiful sound
Emerges, making
People uncomfortable.
Motel Room
She plays just
Outside the door
Of the motel room
That once used to
Host tourists but
Now charges obscene
Rates to people who
Don’t have a down payment,
The necessary credit,
Connections,
Breaks in life,
To live anywhere else.
In the Middle of Lunch
And just like that,
In the middle of lunch,
She realized that
Every time she felt
Like a loser it was
Because she had heard
That message over and over
And, not having the
Life experience to
Do anything else,
Had labeled herself
As deficient in some way
Because, after all,
They couldn’t be wrong.
Little Princess
She’s really upset
Because she’s had
Everything handed to her
And, this time, things
Didn’t work out the way
She had come to expect.
She’s adamant someone else
Got the type of break
That was always given to her.
Her parents support
Their little princess,
They’ll find a way
To make sure she
Gets what she wants.
Not To
It’s not that
They can’t help people,
It’s just that
They choose not to.
Inhumanity
Is simply the
Inability to
Move past fear.
We all do better
When we look out
For each other,
Courageously.
Member of the Community
Even when she
Followed all the rules,
Jumped through all the hoops,
Adhered to all the social norms,
Reached the pinnacle
Of her profession,
Became an exemplary
Member of the community,
Did all the right things,
She was still judged
By the color of her skin.
Long Pause
There’s a long pause
Followed by a few
Tentative attempts to
Get the conversation
Started, trying to scale
A wall erected by fear.
Devoid of knowledge and
Experience, they wobble
Down an unexplored path,
Each hesitant to take
Another step, a precipice
At every turn.
It ends before it begins,
Where it’s always been,
Laying dormant and untended,
The disease never treated,
Ignored as much as
Important things can be.
Descend
With preternaturally
Acute perception,
They discern vulnerability
And descend wantonly
Upon the distress,
Promising solace,
Delivering misery,
Sucking the life out of
Everything they touch.
Satiated, they move on
To the next victim.
Elaborate Fiction
Fabricating an elaborate
Fiction about how the
Very people they’re
Mistreating are somehow
The oppressors, a weak
Justification for their own
Reprehensible actions,
Constantly compensating,
Contriving comfort by
Projecting their own
Offenses on the objects of
Their despotism while
Claiming victimhood.