Walks around in a
Cozy, clueless cocoon,
Spouting off nonsense
As if it were true.
Says anything and
Everything she wants,
Soiled, sordid
Inner process revealed.
Cruel conditioning belies
Inexistent contrition,
Catatonic state of
Unmindful destruction.
Unending flow of information —
Hyper-stimulation.
Neurons firing chaotically,
Entertainment blather,
The superficial supersedes.
Like the easy stuff,
Eschew deeper meaning
Requiring extra effort —
Critical thinking,
Reflection.
The odd child,
It languishes alone,
Brushed aside, unstudied,
Ignored, but no less
Important, valuable.
When he switched careers,
Nobody understood,
Unable to fit him
Into the boxes they had
Previously put him in.
They furrowed their
Brows, perplexed,
Trying to reanimate
A dull static image:
Outdated,
Inaccurate,
Comfortable.
Unable to grasp
The meaning in this
Unforeseen turn of events,
They wander off
To consort with
Their falsities.
Awakening from the nightmare,
Historic opportunity to
Boldly demarcate the
Difference between
Right and wrong –
Truth and mendacity –
Reality versus fiction.
Rectify callous denigrating,
Pillaging, looting, subjugating.
Inestimable moment
Squandered in the name of
Equivalence, civility.
Abject lack of courage,
Worsening suffering,
Inability to change course.
Saying the things that
Need to be said but are
Kept locked away as if
It diminishes their import.
They talk in a new way,
Leaving behind the secrets
And discomfort that
Choke off reality.
Possibilities unfurl,
A path hidden under the
Overgrowth, a new
Existence revealed.
I told her my worth,
Through my actions,
What I would
Settle for,
Such was my desperation.
She gleefully accepted,
Repeatedly indulging in
My diminished sense of
Self — the overtly needy
Kindness of someone
Not yet confident.
A lesson lost on me
Until I was ready.
I’m getting married;
Planning the wedding of my dreams.
No expense spared,
I’m a true princess.
I’ve known since I was six.
This is my day.
My day to shine.
My day to glow.
Oh, true love wrapped in
Bows and an oversized gown,
Used once. Only six stress-filled
Months to deplete bank accounts.
Joy and love, manicured, compulsory.
The weight of judgment.
He walked into the room,
Heard the music, and
Proposed that his favorite
Song be played. Turn it up and
Let’s all enjoy. Isn’t it great,
Quiet — this part is my favorite.
Eyes closed, mind closed, heart
Closed, closet door closed
Inches from your face if you
Don’t listen. A single dominant
Ear consuming all sound,
Ravenously demanding more,
A calamitous cacophony.
Beep beep, here comes the car.
Honk honk, it heaves forward.
In the driver’s seat a small figure
Barely visible over the dashboard.
A quick hand gesture of disgust and
Impatience followed by a rather
Uncontrolled lurch onto the
Grass and the inevitable
Story about how the brakes didn’t
Work and the engine took off
On its own without warning.
Total absolution for the vehicle
Now resting in the living room.
