She vowed never to
Repeat what had been
Done to her and,
When the time came,
She did exactly the
Same thing, in the
Same way, with the
Same lack of insight.
Unpleasant to be around,
A living virus
Spreading fear and hatred,
Unaware of the carnage
He leaves behind,
Each moment a struggle
For relevance,
Complete lack of perspective,
Insight, intuition, tact,
Emotional intelligence.
He either doesn’t
Realize what he’s
Doing, or doesn’t care,
Either option
Producing discomfort
For someone else.
Instead of reflecting on
What’s going on inside her,
She chooses the
Most hurtful thing she
Could possibly say,
It being more important
To protect a fragile ego
Than to get along with others.
Even the smallest issues
Merit massive retaliation,
Regardless of consequences.
She tells herself she’s strong.
This, apparently,
Was the best time
To begin a harsh regimen
Of punishment,
Demonstration of might,
Imposition of hierarchy,
Insecurity chastising
The fruits of ignorance,
An avoidable problem created
By aloofness and disinterest,
Regrettable parenting,
The need to control
Eviscerating all else.
They gather together
Pretending that
Everything is okay,
Forced smiles on.
This is the
Only occasion when
They experience some
Semblance of normalcy.
It means so much,
Their routine
Existence so
Thoroughly toxic.
The rest of the year,
They meander in a
Disconcerting whirlwind of
Fear, pain, self-loathing.
This one day is
As close as they are
Able to get to
Sanity.
He calls his
Grandson’s passion
A hobby,
Reducing dreams
To dust
In an instant,
Encouraging conformity
To arbitrary rules
Born of fear,
Crushing blooming flowers.
Though he had often
Heard that one is
Supposed to be oneself
And pursue one’s dreams,
The messages rattling
Around in his head
Kept him from doing
What he really loved,
Settling instead on
A pale imitation of living.
Palpable anger in her countenance,
She addresses the camera
With an intensity reaped from
Incessant childhood horror.
Wrapped in a tailored suit,
She hawks the latest rip-off
With no remorse,
A polished peddler of misinformation,
Negligently representing the
Banal and dangerous,
Selling herself for a dollar and
A misguided sense of power.
