Of all the things
He could be doing,
He chooses the one
That hurts people.
Unfeeling,
Driven only by an
Unconscious need
For supremacy.
No joy around here,
Only hardness and pain,
Violence and horror,
Absence of light.
Fealty to shareholders.
Soap bar downsized —
Toilet paper smaller —
Every product and
Container carefully
Engineered to extract
Maximum profit from
Struggling saps.
Food escalating,
Power bills astronomical,
Wireless service exorbitant,
Internet prohibitive,
Gasoline extreme.
Extortion at every turn,
Consumers at the mercy of
Soulless marketers,
Profit-churning monsters.
You told me not to quit my day job
When I sang a song. You told me
Not to quit my day job when I told a
Silly joke. You told me not to quit my
Day job when I started writing a book.
I decided to quit my day job, where
Does that leave you?
Optimistically thinking
They were seeing the world
From her vantage point.
Belatedly realizing that
Empathy is a skill
Not everyone possesses.
An insight that
Brings with it both
Relief and sadness.
I saw her on a bus travelling down
A busy thoroughfare, on the way to
A bustling downtown. Our eyes met and
We exchanged a smile. She stood up,
Brushed a strand of auburn hair off her face,
Rang the bell, and got off at the next stop.
As the bus drove away our eyes met again.
My mind in turmoil, I hastily approached
The bus driver and asked to be let off
Between stops. I’m sorry sir, that’s against
The rules, he said deadpan, staring straight ahead.
The next stop too far away.
Don’t agree with the rules?
Tough.
Don’t like the hours?
Deal with it.
Low pay?
Nobody’s telling you to stay.
No time off?
Work waits for no one.
No benefits?
That’s not our problem.
No bargaining rights?
There’s plenty of people
Who would be happy
To have your job.
Any questions?
How safe I feel until it appears:
Lashing, shoving, upsetting
My calm certitude. Rattling,
Confusing, shaking the walls of
My nerves. Look around and wait
In tense anticipation for tranquility to
Return. Try in vain to disregard the
Haphazard din, continuous thrusts.
Calm arrives, disquiet remains.
Impenetrable block,
Reason need not apply,
Dysfunction supreme.
Pandering to bullies,
Ripping lunch money away
From the weak kids.
Cavalierly upending the table,
Food flying everywhere,
Nobody was hungry anyway.
Disrobe and drive home to
Plastic families,
Untreated pathologies.
The rage arising
From not having a voice,
Being denied the
Dignity of sharing
What’s on one’s mind,
Participating as an equal
In the conversation,
Listened to,
Uninterrupted,
Treated as someone
Who matters.
