contemporary poetry

Convincing

The exhausting struggle
Between pessimism and optimism,
One seeing all the things
We can’t change and
The other visualizing
A new day. No small feat,
Convincing a doubter that
We can actually do
Something to help the poor,
Reverse the tide of
Discrimination, improve
Everyone’s quality of life,
Live in peace,
Save the planet.
It’s been shown time and again
That human beings can do
Amazing things to help
One another, enduring evidence
We are capable of moving beyond
Trepidation to collaboration.

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The Crowd Cheers

He stands commandingly at
The podium, gesturing with
Contrived hand motions,
Wearing a creepy, plastered smile,
Confidently proclaiming that
He will take away
Everyone’s health care,
Limit women’s rights,
Deport the immigrants,
And continue his passionate
Pursuit of helping the rich while
Destroying everyone else;
The crowd cheers wildly.

Across the Road

Standing
Across the
Road from the
Place where he
Grew up and
Reluctantly became
What he is today
And wishes to
Leave behind.

Other

One person’s other
Is another human being’s
Mother, father
Working long hours
At the distribution
Center, hoping to
Get ahead, rent a
Larger apartment,
Feed the family while
Putting away a few
Dollars here and there
To send the kids to
College, the realization
Of a dream, a generation
Not toiling in sweatshops
Being shouted at by
Those who think they’re
Inferior in some way.

Fallibility

Looking back,
She should have known
That he would never listen.

Rationality would
Never be part of
His decision-making process.

He would make his choice
With no understanding of
Its ramifications.

There would never be
Any acknowledgment of any
Possibility of fallibility.

Things would always
Be this way,
Unexamined.

In the Room

All I remember is
Being in the room,
Surrounded by people
Who I suspect would
Not show any emotion
Even if the situation
Demanded it, and feeling
Completely alone,
Without even the slightest
Connection to anyone,
A lost child walking
The wrong way against
A crowd, unable to see
Anything but knees,
And wishing I were
Anywhere but there.

Former Racist

“I’m a former racist,”
He says matter-of-factly,
“And I know that all this
Agitation and strife is
Caused by two things,
Greed and fear: greed
Because we’ve all had it
A certain way all these
Years and don’t want to
Give anything up or share
What we’ve got, and fear
That the people we’ve wronged
Will rise up and come after us
For everything we’ve done
To them.” He pauses and adds,
“It’s time for us to
Acknowledge what’s happened and
Start talking about it so
We can all live together
Like we’re supposed to.”

Obliterated

It doesn’t happen
All at once.

A steady erosion of
Humanity, kindness, empathy.

Norms obliterated,
One small, aberrant action at a time.

A desolate
Emptiness remains.

The victors celebrate
Everyone’s destruction.

Moment’s Remorse

I’m not sure
If you’ve heard,
But everyone around
You has a different
Opinion of you than
You have of yourself.

Perhaps I’m stating
The obvious, but I
Wonder whether you
Might not realize
You have offended
Everyone, repeatedly.

In some small way
I wonder what it’s
Like to walk around
Oblivious to the pain
One is causing others,
Without a moment’s remorse.