good poems

Flinch

What’s it like to live scared?
Certain that someone is always
At the back door, eager to harm.
To flinch at the slightest sound,
Assume offensive posture. Sleep with
One eye open. Throbbing memories.

What’s it like to live courageously?
Understand that risk is real,
Not pervasive. Embrace the
Kindness and compassion that is
Present at every turn. Welcome
Inner and outer peace.

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Chance

Attach the label,
Accusatory scarlet letter,
Moral failing, character flaw,
Stamp of inadequacy.

Point a crooked finger,
Their fault, they’re lazy,
Not enterprising and
Hard-working like us.

Gilded mantle of
Success and civilization,
Gentility personified,
There but for chance.

Laughter

A serious man was asked why he
Rarely laughed. He paused a
Moment and said he had once been
Deeply in love and his heart
Had been broken in such a way that
He could no longer laugh.

A smiling man was asked why he
Laughed all the time. He confided that
He had once loved someone who had
Left him at the altar and laughter
Healed the wound. He also mentioned
That the mother of the bride sneezed during
the ceremony, catapulting her wig into the aisle.

Supplicant

Systematic pattern of
Control. Relentlessly
Dictate behaviors, thoughts,
Feelings, experiences.
Obligatory blindfold
Keeps out the light,
Walking unsteadily in a
Realm of mystery,
Uncertainty,
More complex than necessary,
Superstition supersedes.
Compliant, prostrate
Supplicant,
Managed from above.

Rain

Rain visits and rejuvenates
My cluttered thoughts.
Invigorated air imbued with promise.
Worries lessened drop by
Drop the pretense. Wavy
Lines on glass shifting
How I see. Step outside and
Look up, face tingling.

Gap

Gap widening,
One group can’t see
What’s happening
On the other side.

Toiling fruitlessly,
Unable to lift their
Heads up long enough to
Envision any future.

Another lavish shopping spree,
Put the bags down in a
Closet the size of
An apartment.

Call your friend about the
Next trip to St. Barth,
In a kitchen, a father
Stares at dirty dishes.

Outside

The selfless act offered without
Craving for recognition or glory. The
Kindness shared without expectation of
Reimbursement. The caring generously
Given to those who are not familiar.
Stepping outside oneself for a walk on
A sunny morning for someone else.

Speak Out

There comes a time when
One is either actively
Against injustice or,
By saying nothing,
Part of the problem.
Speak out with a clear voice,
Help those who don’t have one,
Be part of the solution,
Rather than on the
Wrong side of history.

Loudmouth

Another unreconstructed loudmouth
Spewing venomous vituperations.
Eyes glazed, mouth frothing,
Mind strangled with rancor.

They pretend to look away,
Another inconvenient car wreck
To ignore, metastasizing,
Contempt the agenda.