minimal poetry

Former Racist

“I’m a former racist,”
He says matter-of-factly,
“And I know that all this
Agitation and strife is
Caused by two things,
Greed and fear: greed
Because we’ve all had it
A certain way all these
Years and don’t want to
Give anything up or share
What we’ve got, and fear
That the people we’ve wronged
Will rise up and come after us
For everything we’ve done
To them.” He pauses and adds,
“It’s time for us to
Acknowledge what’s happened and
Start talking about it so
We can all live together
Like we’re supposed to.”


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Obliterated

It doesn’t happen
All at once.

A steady erosion of
Humanity, kindness, empathy.

Norms obliterated,
One small, aberrant action at a time.

A desolate
Emptiness remains.

The victors celebrate
Everyone’s destruction.

Moment’s Remorse

I’m not sure
If you’ve heard,
But everyone around
You has a different
Opinion of you than
You have of yourself.

Perhaps I’m stating
The obvious, but I
Wonder whether you
Might not realize
You have offended
Everyone, repeatedly.

In some small way
I wonder what it’s
Like to walk around
Oblivious to the pain
One is causing others,
Without a moment’s remorse.

Overlooked

What is often
Overlooked,
Ignored,
Is that one can
Become amazingly
Wealthy without
Destroying people
Or the planet.

Achievable

Living
In peace.

Helping
One another.

Valuing
Sharing.

Promoting
Love.

All
Achievable.

The World Made Kinder

He helps
A vulnerable
Stranger.

He finds it’s
The most meaningful
Thing he’s ever done.

The world made kinder
By a person’s
Selfless gesture.

Revel

Arguing untenable
Positions,
Pretending that
Extremity is normality,
Criminality inconsequential.
Rationality is not a
Part of this conversation.
All that remains is a
Raw desire to
Crush the opposition,
Revel in power
Without regard for
Anyone, anything, anytime.

Miles

Many
Miles apart,
Both of us
Looking at
The same
Beautiful
Moon.

Other People’s Lives

It was a
Beautiful moment,
A realization
That he had the
Ability and
Wherewithal to
Make a difference
In other people’s
Lives without any
Need for recompense,
Only the reward
Of knowing he had
Done something good.