Destroying a nation
To satisfy unacknowledged,
Unmet needs, a petty
Tyrant imposing his
Frivolous whims on a
Tired, anxious populace
Whose only role
In the farce is a grim,
Resigned obedience under
The threat of violence.
It’s all smiles and
Warmth until he decides
That the prevailing
Beliefs are not his
Cup of tea, that’s when
A side he’s never seen
Before rears it’s head,
A writhing creature
Bristling with
Reproach and suspicion
At the prospect of
Someone not toeing the line,
Forcing them to reflect
On who they really are.
A miserable horde
Of maudlin, unhappy beings,
So far away from their
Cores that they have
No idea what else to do
But lash out at others
For living as they can’t.
Supervising yet another
Renovation to her mansion,
She hears a worker
Utter some words in a
Foreign tongue and
Quickly admonishes him
To speak English, without
Any consideration for
A fellow human being’s
Plight or life experience,
Ignoring the glaring reality
That not everyone has parents
Who read and write in
Their own native language,
Let alone a new one,
But it’s much easier to
Chastise someone for not
Being able to speak one’s
Preferred patter than
It is to understand
Their story.
We try everything we
Can think of and
Nothing works,
Consult experts
To no avail,
Wonder if it
Will ever pass.
Everything resolves itself,
We’re told,
While wondering whether
It’s true at all.
He doesn’t like or
Understand himself,
So he imposes his will
On others in order to
Temporary placate
Whatever noise is going on
In his head, the urge to
Soothe the inner discomfort
Greater than anything else,
A stunning inability to
See anything beyond his
Own itching needs.
Pander to fears and prejudices,
Devise a hated enemy to
Satiate the wrath of the mob,
Incite to violence.
Us versus them,
Someone else not quite as
Human as we are,
Different in some way.
Trash any impulse to
Collaborate with others,
Label them some horrible thing,
Untrue, unjustified, unhinged.
Fragmentation weakening foundations,
Eroding commonalities,
An opportunistic savior
Capitalizes on division.
Do this,
Do that,
It has to be done
This way,
That way,
The way I say,
How it’s always been
Or has randomly developed
Through years of people
Scrambling to hang on to
Power and prestige
At the expense of
Everything else,
Rules smothering
Passion, creativity, life.
No thank you.
Misdirected rage,
Flawed grave reasoning,
Flailing against imaginary
Monsters under beds.
A shift in perspective,
Assumptions upturned,
Unfamiliar changes underway,
Movement misunderstood.
An urge to maintain order,
Preserve pervasive power,
Vehemently opposing kindness,
Collective advancement.
