Going back to the place
Where he grew up and
Finding that it is not
The same as he remembers,
Dreams of recapturing his
Youth dashed in an instant of
Realization that things can
Never be as they were,
No matter how much he
Wishes them to be.
She attended a workshop required by
Her employer and found that it
Directly contradicted everything
She experienced at work each day.
How to reconcile incompatible philosophies,
Battling worldviews, half-hearted
Gestures to improve nothing.
Sit at your desk, do your work,
An ego will be by presently to
Overwhelm your spirit.
Recalcitrant, obstinate, obdurate,
Contemptuous. Outwardly aggressive,
Inwardly cowering, the dull throb of
Insecurity never loosens its grip.
Never give, never cede. Resist.
Impose, defy, defile, destroy.
Conquer every inch of ground with
Merciless fury, vehement ardor.
Happiness beckons from the other side.
Nothing beats the intoxicating
Perfume of Pyrrhic victory, unhealed
Wounds, torpid unexamination.
She worries about
Absolutely everything;
Wreathed in a
Cloud of trepidation,
Myriad menaces,
Nothing safe,
Constant vigilance against
Threats real and fabricated,
She bequeaths all this
Wonderfulness to her children.
Multi-tentacled monster,
Insatiable appetite for
Culpatory knowledge.
Pursue with great vigor,
Upend life,
Intimidate with threats of
Dire consequences,
Frame as a renegade
Divulger of secrets,
A craven menace.
Nothing stops the
Gurgling heart of
Fear-riddled sickness
Zealously guarding
Improprieties.
The room was
Buzzing with energy,
People smiling and
Laughing, sharing
Anecdotes, exchanging
Business cards,
Having a cocktail or two.
He stood in the
Middle of the action,
Pretending to be
Part of it.
Ugly self-righteousness,
The arrogance of alleging
He knows more than anyone
Else and is so perfect that
He has the right to impose
His beliefs and values on
Everyone else because,
After all, nobody’s opinion
Matters more than his own.
He smiles smugly,
A shining example of a
Mind deluded by its own
Inner instability.
At some point it
Becomes an exercise in
Trying not to become jaded,
To avoid thinking that she’s
Seen it all or knows what’s
Happening before she
Takes it in, moving gingerly
To maintain her humanity,
Some connection to what
Really means something.
How to describe
How dirty I feel
When I’m forced to
Have any kind of
Contact with you.
How to let you know
That the mere thought
Of you repulses me
And racks me with
Overwhelming sadness.
How to get you
Out of my life,
Away from me,
So I don’t have to
Deal with this.
How to keep wishing
That you would
See what’s going on
Instead of
Stepping on me.
