Desperately trying to
Get away from them.
They don’t contemplate
Or comprehend anything
Beyond their immediate needs.
It was always this way,
One person’s wounds
Engulfing another,
Obscuring humanity,
Forced journey to the
Bottom of the well.
The thing about it was
That nobody was quite
Sure what had actually
Happened or how to
Interpret it, there
Being as many different
Versions of the events
As there were people
In the room, although
Everyone seemed to agree
It created a rather
Uncomfortable situation.
It was the look
Of contempt that
Changed everything,
A fixed stare
Piercing right through her,
Narrowed eyes,
One-sided smile,
Devoid of any empathy,
Now an object of scorn,
Written off as unworthy.
And just like that,
In the middle of lunch,
She realized that
Every time she felt
Like a loser it was
Because she had heard
That message over and over
And, not having the
Life experience to
Do anything else,
Had labeled herself
As deficient in some way
Because, after all,
They couldn’t be wrong.
Though circumstances may seem
Unbearable,
Remember that
There is a multitude of us
Here for you.
There is so much
Good in the world
Sustained by countless people
Who believe in love
And hope.
We care for you and each other,
We breathe together,
You’re never alone.
It takes no creativity
To slap together a
System based on fear,
Just a few coarse
Words or insinuations
Designed to push
Waiting buttons.
Selfishness doesn’t
Involve deliberation.
What requires far more
Concern and forethought is
Finding ways to care
For human beings and
Building a world where
Empathy is the norm
And everyone matters.
A strange unease from an
Otherwise ordinary interaction
Occurring at an unusual time.
Message with undertones of
Manipulation, control.
Not everything is well here.
Something else is bound to
Go awry, undesirable circumstance;
Wait for it and hope for the best.
Killing the arts,
Heavy-handed plot to
Silence dissent.
Stifle creativity,
Gag the rabble-rousing
Subversives.
Suppress contradictory
Voices challenging
Authority.
No one left to
Speak uncomfortable truths.
They have won, and lost.
Sadly, one cannot
Yearn one’s way into
Another’s heart,
Only skulk around
The margins hoping
Something will change,
Reading great promise
Into irrelevant events,
The object of one’s
Ardor unaware.
