contemporary poetry

Surprise

If he had been told
That he’d be going there
To experience something
Horrible, it’s quite
Certain he wouldn’t have
Believed it, such things
Almost always materialize
As an undesirable and
Unforeseen surprise.
As he got ready for the
Event, all he could
Think about was her
Face and how much he
Was looking forward
To seeing her again.
He still remembers
That evening, with a
Mixture of sorrow and
Venom, sometimes
Hoping he will
Have the opportunity
To repay the favor.

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Dominance

Aggressive roars disturb
The once peaceful neighborhood.

An old woman peers out
Through the shutters.

Another rumbling behemoth
Imposes its dominance.

A new way of doing things,
Flouting civility.

Forcing

It seems like
Every month the
Paycheck pays for
Less and less and
Decisions have to be
Made regarding what
To pay for or put off
For another time as
The quarterly reports
Tied to CEO pay driven by
Investors’ expectations
And rampant greed
Make every product smaller,
Less of a value,
And a larger chunk
Of small budgets,
Forcing painful choices.

Filtering

For the world to be
Whole, beautiful, loving,
We simply need to
Experience it through
The clarity of being healthy
Rather than filtering it
Through our wounded selves.

Practice

Profiting
From war doesn’t
Lead to conciliation.

Bellicose
Words don’t
Invite dialogue.

Suspicion and
Hatred don’t
Bring us together.

Peace
Is
Possible.

We just
Need to
Practice it.

Capable

She remembers
The faces telling
Her who she is
And what she should do,
Messages interpreted
As truth rather
Than opinion.

Not sure she
Can do it,
She nevertheless
Gives it a try
And finds out that
She was capable of it
The whole time.

An Appearance

He’s still exactly
As she remembered him,
Whether that’s a
Disappointment will
Be revealed after
The conversation begins
And the things that
Have never been said
Try to make an appearance.

Govern

Just so its
Perfectly clear:
I polluted your
Water knowingly,
It fits with my
General philosophy
About business being
Able to do whatever
It wants and everyone
Else fending for
Himself or herself.
I don’t care if there are
Many other, more humane,
Ways to govern,
I take care of myself
And my own, period.

The Square

Throughout the square,
People walk quickly
And slowly, with
Purpose and randomly,
Going to wherever it is
They have to go or
No destination at all.
A woman looks at her watch,
A child runs after a ball,
Two men chat animatedly,
Pigeons take flight,
A statue quietly looks on.