Two quiet birds
Sat together in
A tree, enjoying
Each other’s company,
Sharing a placid afternoon
In a beautiful garden.
One young person
Stepped outside and
Admired the idyllic scene.
Another young person
Scared them away,
Unmoved.
I wish I could assert
How unhappy I am
When I’m around you,
How my throat closes
And my chest hurts
When I think of spending
Any length of time
In your vicinity,
How your presence
Makes me think of
The innumerable times
When I was crushed
With complete disregard,
Laughed at as I lay there,
Screaming for help.
I’d like to say all
These things, but
It will never happen.
I turned my back
On art and she,
Knowing more than me,
Waited patiently while
I sorted things out,
Struggling day to day,
Existing as another
Until I finally
Saw her as she
Had always been.
A creeping foreboding insinuating
Itself into an otherwise cloudless day.
A serene outdoor picnic where the only
Visitor is a breeze and a mountain lion.
Take a moment to resolve whether
You’ll sit still or run, then decide to
Flee and find that your legs are like
Noodles in a delicious Asian soup
You enjoyed one time in a small
Place in a distant destination.
An intimate lunch in a hidden corner of a
Bustling city. Gazing into each other’s eyes
Moments before the check came and
Overburdened your credit card causing
Waves of shame, a loss of face.
A clearing in the forest for dance,
Connecting with nature,
Celebrating peace, hope,
Joy, discovery,
Learning, community.
In another corner of the forest
A group worships fear and hate,
Flames licking their way
Up sordid symbols of
Venomous loathing.
No matter what happens or
How weird things get.
You’re always there.
An oasis of solace and comfort
In roiling seas.
A refuge from
The heartless vicissitudes that
Challenge my mettle.
You’ll always be with me,
My beloved waffle iron.
Walking along a familiar
Path, I look up and
Marvel at the leaves
Of a particular tree
I had not noticed before.
Later, In a strangely
Serendipitous coincidence,
Someone asks me a question,
I respond that I’m the guy
Who looks at the leaves.
Adolescently clever plan
Concocted by anxious minds
Jostling for position.
Fragile egos contrive
A storyline whereby
Half the population
Huddles at the mercy of
Self-appointed masters,
Insecure autocrats with
Weak self-esteem
Dominating others to
Feel better about themselves.
The broken leading the
Unfortunate, artificial
Power differentials,
Brutally imposed order.
Suburban cul-de-sac
Festooned with oversized toys,
An obscene adult sandbox
Flaunted by unrepentant consumers.
Overstuffed couch from the
Regional chain supports
Contented chip-shoveling girth.
Screaming offspring omnipresent,
Not a moment’s rest for the
Weary amidst family pandemonium.
Overfed, welcomes overstayed,
Another meat chunk on the grill
Complementing the seven in the belly.
Bawdy, obvious observations issue from
Large, reckless mouths, unpolished,
Unconcerned. A mortgage the
Admission to complete disregard for
Human life and civilization.
