A group of individuals
Gets together to plan
Not the complete domination
Of the planet by any
Means necessary, the
Hording of obscene wealth
At the expense of people
And the planet, but rather
The future of this place
Called Earth, where we
All have the ability to
Help one another succeed.
Shocked,
But accompanied by
A now-familiar sense
Of resignation,
She pays her insurance
Premium, the one she
Was so happy about,
The one that was
Supposed to
Make her life easier,
The one that has gone
Up worrisomely in
Only one year,
Not subject to any
Controls, just like
Everything else she
Has to buy to live.
A barely charismatic buffoon
Captures the narrow
Imagination of malcontents
Who yearn for a return
To the good old days
When they could insult
Anyone they wanted to
And impose their will
On anyone who didn’t
Look like them.
Nationalistic cries
Generating an autonomic
Response of hatred and
Complete lack of hope.
He becomes livid when
Anyone dares question
His authority, unaccustomed
To being challenged for
Even the most reprehensible
Behavior toward those
He looks down upon or
Perhaps never had to think
About at all before they
Got all uppity and decided
To stand up to his cruelty.
A life lived without the
Need to apologize for
Any action, any slight
Uttered with absolute
Arrogance, impunity,
Vestiges of empire,
Purported rights.
Gazing wistfully at
The cassette tape,
Remembering a time
That will never return,
Friends long gone,
Events relegated to
Personal history,
Remembered perhaps
Only by him,
A mix of happiness and loss.
What you have to sell,
They don’t want,
But that doesn’t mean
It has no value,
Just that this is
Not the right audience.
Somewhere out there are
People who appreciate
What you offer.
Remember that,
No matter what happens on
Any particular day,
You’re always wonderful.
Making unilateral decisions
Based on self-serving,
Intentionally, maliciously
Skewed information without
The slightest bit of
Awareness or concern for
Fact or fairness,
A system that prizes
Conformity, obedience.
Dead faces executing orders,
Unconcerned, unfeeling.
Faceless behemoth,
Unaccountable,
Cold, unhelpful,
Unnecessarily complicated,
Lacking even the
Slightest bit of
Compassion,
No hint of humanity,
Run by robots.
Happy family home,
Place of calm and solace.
Verdant yard where
Small children play,
Exploring a world of
Limitless wonder.
Humble parcel of land
Unanticipatedly becomes
Exponentially more valuable for
What rests below it.
New player in town
Swaggers in – unambiguously
Asserts its presence.
No questions allowed,
Genuflect to the will of
The cold-blooded conglomerate.
Pockets to be filled,
People to dispossess.
