contemporary poetry

Charmed

She couldn’t help laughing when
He came up to her and sneezed
In the middle of introducing himself.

She was charmed by the way he
Mixed up his words when she
Asked him the simplest question.

She was intrigued by every part of
Him and soon they were married
In a large, joyful ceremony.

She couldn’t have foreseen the
Other secrets uncharming,
Revealed in daily life.

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Unlike Your Own

Think new thoughts,
Behave in original ways,
Develop fresh insights,
Meet unique people,
Consider novel points of
View, unlike your own,
That make the world a
Better place for you, yours,
Others, and eschew
Notions archaic, austere.

As Far as He Knew

He came home from work and
Settled in with a beer to dull the
Numbing monotony of his life and
Scarcity of hope or dreams.

He walked to the kitchen to a
Plate of food left in the refrigerator
By someone who would rather not
Be there for many reasons.

He walked back to the couch where
He anesthetized his mind with
Television and beer and nothing else
As far as he knew.

Out of Nowhere

One day, out of nowhere,
He decided to let her in.
There was no particular
Reason, it had just become
Tiresome to constantly think of
Ways to hide from view.

One day, out of nowhere,
He decided to talk about
That thing that happened and
Changed his life forever.
It had become untenable to
Hold back the deluge
Another moment.

Be Nice Already

Be nice already.
Would it kill you?
Take off your monster outfit and
Hang out with people who want to
Get to know you.
Come down from your perch and
Check out all the delicious seeds.

Every drop of kindness offered to
Another is an oasis in the middle of a
Scorching desert, an outstretched hand
When falling off a cliff, a moment of
Hope and connection amidst turmoil.

Be nice already.
It won’t kill you.
It’s not a monster.
It’s delicious.

Trampling Delicate Flowers

The whimsy of a kind word,
Lovely picture, thoughtful
Gesture, silly story,
Innocent giggle, affectionate
Wink, gentle hug, quiet moment,
Inner insight, peaceful realization,
Untainted by maudlin, cheesy,
Common denominator product
Thoughtlessly ingested by dull
Plodding herd inattentive,
Trampling delicate flowers.

Turn Back

A cabal of petty,
Unreconstructed hacks
With no experience of
Being discriminated against,
Making sweeping
Discriminatory decisions
Against the unprotected,
Limiting their rights,
Restricting their ability to
Achieve their dreams,
Ignoring heinous past and
Present transgressions.
Inequality institutionalized,
Codified by privileged brutes
Who’ve never had to
See things from
Someone else’s perspective,
Or have some kind of
Strange axe to grind,
Smugly decreeing a
Less compassionate world.
Turn back the clock,
Reverse progress.

Mercilessness

Sadism personified,
Culture of barbarism,
Fear, cruelty,
Casual violence.

Self-perpetuating system,
Commend bad behavior,
Promote inhumanity,
Celebrate malice.

Respond to everything
With brutality,
Pledge fealty to
Mercilessness.

You Do

You say that you act a certain
Way and then do the exact opposite of
What you’ve just asserted.
There are two options that might
Explain this type of behavior:
One is you don’t realize what you’re doing,
The other is you do.