When it became apparent
That things would not
Be as I wished, I still
Held out hope,
Surely there is another way,
One that won’t hurt
So much, that won’t
Make me hate myself.
Many years later,
Everything remains
The same, externally,
Though inside I still
Harbor some slight
Optimism that things
Will change though
They likely won’t.
They come out
In droves,
Reasserting their
Flagging supremacy,
Sending a message
That they’re not
Done yet with this
Unearned position
Seized by force.
History will reveal
Who they really are.
There is always
Some individual
Who is more callous
Than others,
And is willing to
Maim and kill
To solely meet his own needs,
Who will not weep
At the end of the day
When the horror of
The slaughter is evident,
And who, in spite of the spoils,
Will live an utterly miserable life.
Reducing human beings
To categories and fates,
A lamentable history of
Imposed disparity,
Lapse of humanity.
All they know is
Selfishness,
Unable to understand or
Care in any way about
The plight of others,
A hollow existence
Reeking of fear and pain,
Bewildered, suspicious, alone.
On a flight from
Any town to another town
In any part of the nation,
A man falls ill and a
Doctor of a certain color
And gender offers her help
Only to be condescendingly
Rebuffed by a flight attendant
Of a different color who
Believes only certain people
Are doctors.
Will it or
Won’t it?
Conclusion unknown,
No answer forthcoming,
The only recourse available is to
Ponder options,
None of which are pleasant.
I hear the same words
Coming from different
Mouths in slow motion,
With great conviction,
No doubts or hesitation.
They all describe
A disconsolate landscape of
Hopelessness and futility,
An entrenched acceptance of
Callousness and cruelty.
We’re all on our own,
They mutter grimly.
I’m transported to their
Formative years when someone
Important told them that.
Swarms of zealous
Dark figures fan out
Across the city,
There’s a mission
To be accomplished here,
Must protect all that
Is sacred, rid our
Shores of this horrid
Menace, return back
To the days when we
Only turned on
Each other.
