Left to his own devices,
Which really just means
That he can do whatever
He wants, and that leads
To nothing that anyone
Else is happy with,
An out-of-control asteroid
Careening toward anything
In its path, unable to
Get out of the way.
High school online,
The popular kids
Preening and primping,
Everyone else trying
To be like them even though
None of it matters.
People left out, made fun of.
Pretending meaningless relationships
Mean something.
She leaves, inviting everyone
To contact her directly,
No one does.
An event perfectly planned
Down to the most minute
Detail, swiftly derailed by
The most mundane of unforeseen
Glitches, competently handled
By some, a cause for great
Alarm to others, nobody
Notices on the outside,
Or cares, everything appearing
Just fine to the unsuspecting.
How to be a pompous rich person:
Be at the right place
At the right time,
Then pretend your success
Is due to your
Exceptional clairvoyance,
Superior specialness,
Rare ability to
Toil harder than
The person washing your dishes
In the tony restaurants you frequent.
Also, look down
On human beings who haven’t
Had the same luck as you,
Say stuff about how they
Aren’t driven, and believe it,
After all, your
Flimsy self-worth and
Brittle facade
Depend on it.
Outward bluster
Masking inner
Insecurity.
Self-loathing
Wrapped up in
Defiance.
Acting tough is
Easier than
Healing one’s pain.
People at the top
Who don’t care about
Anyone or anything else
Other than amassing
More and more stuff,
Piling it in heaps and
Admiring their
Hoarding prowess,
Backing politicians
Who vow to help them
Keep it all,
Share none of it,
Keep flattering themselves
And blathering on about
How they’re somehow
Better than others
And not just lucky.
People who believe
War is unavoidable
Inevitably cause
Ongoing strife
Even thought it’s
Been demonstrated
Innumerable times
That human beings have
An infinite ability
To behave with
Kindness and compassion.
A place that
Was once safe is
No longer.
Sometimes things
Change in
Unfortunate ways.
Some people
Grow,
Others don’t.
He always has a
False narrative
Playing in his head,
Protecting him from reality,
Shielding him from
The things he’d rather not look at,
And who he’s become.
