The upstanding,
Morally superior,
Leader of his community
Ends a wonderful meal
By informing the waiter,
On the check, that he
Won’t be leaving a tip
Because he doesn’t
Agree with his lifestyle,
Although the service
Was impeccable.
She’s thrown to the floor
By someone sworn to
Protect her,
In front of her classmates,
Who understand what’s
Really going on and how
It could be them,
And has already been the
Relative they visit
Once in a while,
Labeled early on as
Troublemakers who deserve
To be penned and forgotten.
He has no interest in
Why we hurt each other
Because that would mean
Having to relive the
Terrifying memories that
Take up so much space
Inside him and never
Permit a moment’s peace.
He’s chosen instead to
Project his pain onto
Others, to make them the
Object of his fear and
Brokenness, subdue them
So he might feel a moment’s
Respite from the turmoil,
Instead of getting help and
Learning how to love again.
I guess some people
Think it’s okay
To shame a child for
Not having money to
Pay for food,
A particularly
Reprehensible
Form of cruelty that
Never leads to
Anything but
Suffering.
This is how
Societies die.
Huddled together
Hoping the next one
Doesn’t hit them,
Knowing that it will
Slaughter someone.
Always at the mercy of
Cold-blooded rulers
Who couldn’t care less
About what happens
To people like them.
Stepping off the bus,
Lily walks home
Past rusting cars,
Graffiti-covered walls,
Shuttered storefronts,
Garbage-strewn gutters,
To the doorway of
Her bleak building
Where there’s never a
Moment’s peace in the
Small apartment
She lives in.
They hope you won’t
Notice everything
They’re taking away,
How they’re obliterating
Compassion and decency,
Leaving behind a charred
Dystopia with a few obscenely
Affluent creatures reveling in
Manicured enclaves
Surrounded by monstrous gates.
It doesn’t really
Matter to them
What they say or do
As long as it forces
The desired result,
Kindness and compassion
Are not even part of
The deliberative process,
Only calculations to
Grab and retain power.
When the people
At the top
Don’t listen to
Those at the bottom,
Terrible upheavals
Can, and do, occur.
As history has shown,
Someone will always
Be ready to fill the void,
Offering strength,
Safety, order,
A return to something.
