One-way conversation,
Let me tell you how it is,
Your opinion doesn’t matter,
My word is the law,
I’m talking now,
You don’t have a say,
Keep it to yourself,
If you don’t like the rules, leave,
I’m the boss here,
You listen to me.
One person talking,
The other not there.
Though endowed with
A considerable intellect,
He chose instead to follow
A path of dull debauchery
Punctuated with resolute,
Mighty revelry.
Not a moment’s self-reflection
Or pang of conscience,
A chronic condition
He would sadly never
Grow past or consider
Changing in any way.
An aging lothario,
Not as attractive and spry
As he once might have been,
Hungrily anticipating yet
Another temporary fix,
Fleeting reassurance.
Let’s design an amusement
Where I win every time and
Laugh hysterically with my
Cohort about how well
Things are going,
Shaking our heads in disbelief at
The splendid hand we’ve
Been dealt repeatedly,
Expectedly. With each
Giddy chortle of victory and
Puff of self-satisfaction,
Drink from the chalice,
Wine in such plentiful supply
It oxidizes, insipid.
As long as he can
Buy a third house,
Seventh car,
Fourth wife,
He doesn’t care
How much his business
Destroys the planet,
All that matters is
Satisfying his overwhelming
Need to silence the voices
Deep inside that remind him of
Where he came from and
What he’s become.
Nobody ever listens,
They just
Talk talk talk,
In love with the sound
Of their own voices,
Smothering any
Meaningful communication.
I know,
I used to be
Like that.
It was clear
He wouldn’t have
The courage to do
Anything but what
He had always done.
It took many years
Of memories and
Experiences to get
Here, none of which
He would let go of.
Things would remain
Much as they had
Always been,
Sad and stunted,
Unexamined.
As she discovered
Over many years of
Resisting change,
There isn’t much
You can do about it,
If anything at all,
It just happens and
You have to deal with it
As you see fit,
Which determines
How your life transpires.
It’s really easy to
Go with one’s baser
Instincts, it requires
No actual thought,
Just be rude or
Dismiss someone without
Worrying about it
For even a moment,
Look away,
Pretend you see nothing,
Feel nothing.
Kindness requires
More deliberation,
A conscious effort
To love and value
Yourself, others, the world,
A resolution to go beyond
Self-interest and
Offer peace and joy
To everyone.
An affable man was asked whether
He was a writer. He replied emphatically
That he was most definitely not a writer but
More of a reporter. He walked away to
Continue chronicling the vicissitudes of life,
Seen through a lens of superficiality and
Constriction. He made only one exception:
When his words could help damage the
Vulnerable, otherwise, just casual
Accounts about nothing of consequence.
