He sits down and
Immediately opens his
Huge mouth and says
Something ridiculously
Offensive about someone
He’s never met or
Something he knows
Absolutely nothing about,
A smug smile covering
His ordinary face,
Not an ounce of insight
Clouds his horizon.
He remembers sitting
In the living room
Absorbing the tireless
Rants of his father,
Most of his family and
Acquaintances, about those
People and what needed
To be done to them,
Interspersed with moments
Of unmitigated terror
Watching the hulking figure
Stumble toward him,
The hand striking his face
For no reason other than
Being in the vicinity,
The inescapable continuation
Of distorted tradition,
Words and blows creating
Impenetrable callouses.
Accustomed to
Doing
Whatever the want
Whenever they
Want to,
For whatever reason,
With absolute
Impunity,
No fear of
Retribution.
Bullies
Wearing
The right outfit,
Preying on
The vulnerable,
Enforcing the
Status quo,
Having a
Few laughs,
Disorderly.
The weight of
A thousand slights,
Cruel treatment,
Marginalization,
Weigh upon their
Tattered shoulders.
Any vestiges of
Dignity stamped out
Without the slightest
Shred of compassion,
Constant, crushing
Scorn and belittlement.
When they finally
Rise up, it’s pointed
Out how out of control
They are, a tornado
Calling a breeze insolent.
A frightening sameness
To their looks,
Their words,
Their beliefs,
Their passions,
Their ends.
Marching in lockstep
To some concocted lore
About superiority and
Unparalleled greatness,
And the wretchedness
Of their enemy,
There always has to be
An enemy to rally against.
Their inner bonfires
Precursors to the
Inevitable conflagration.
He promoted himself as
An enlightened, educated,
Open-minded gentleman
Who could analyze
A thorny situation and
Deliver an even-handed
Verdict on what was
Really going on and
How it might be handled.
He presented himself as
A wise individual with the
Ability to understand the
World from a variety of
Perspectives, as long
As his proclamations
Were not challenged
In any way and nobody
Pointed out his bigotry.
Such a nice boy,
Subjected to constant
Suppression and domination
Over so many years.
His hopefulness fractures,
He loses his ability to
Feel for himself or others
And becomes what he
Swore he never would.
Delivering yet another
Monologue
On the same tired subject
He’s recounted a thousand
Times before, it’s
Depressingly
Discernible that he’s
Never listened to
Someone else’s
Point of view or
Made room for any other
Narrative but his.
Love conditional,
Kindness doled out
In meager portions,
Dependent on
Self-interest,
How it makes
Him look, not how
It makes the other
Person feel.
Cold,
Calculating,
A cornucopia
Brimming
With nothing.
