poems about brokenness

Forward-Thinking

Once a year, 
They call in some
Highly-recommended,
One-dimensional expert
To run a few inane activities
Focusing on the superficial
To the exclusion of
Anything of substance,
Momentarily making them
Feel like they’ve done
Something to address
The pathologies that
Riddle their organization and
Will never deal with meaningfully.
They congratulate themselves for
Being forward-thinking.

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We’re the Ones

We’re the ones who wouldn’t
Pay taxes to support schools,
Who fought to deny
Medical care to millions,
Applauded as money was
Taken from working families and
Channeled to the wealthy,
Cheered when corporations became people,
Laughed as the planet overheated.
We’re the ones who self-righteously
Imposed our beliefs on others,
Encouraged discrimination,
Vilified anyone who didn’t agree with us,
Mocked vulnerable groups.
We’re the ones who
Voted in insurrectionists who
Broke the government and
Eroded democracy,
We sat in our castles,
Hoarding our gold,
Looked the other way
When everyone needed help,
Scoffed at the idea that we’re
All in this together.
They say you’re supposed to
Leave the world a little better
Than when you found it,
We didn’t.

The Spoils

There is always
Some individual
Who is more callous
Than others,
And is willing to
Maim and kill
To solely meet his own needs,
Who will not weep
At the end of the day
When the horror of
The slaughter is evident,
And who, in spite of the spoils,
Will live an utterly miserable life.

Bewildered

All they know is
Selfishness,
Unable to understand or
Care in any way about
The plight of others,
A hollow existence
Reeking of fear and pain,
Bewildered, suspicious, alone.

Doctor

On a flight from
Any town to another town
In any part of the nation,
A man falls ill and a
Doctor of a certain color
And gender offers her help
Only to be condescendingly
Rebuffed by a flight attendant
Of a different color who
Believes only certain people
Are doctors.

Trajectory

Their lives are
Based on beliefs
Rather than facts,
Following a trajectory
Of supposition,
Superstition,
Every move dictated by
Some unseen force,
Contrived reality,
Detrimental,
Unproven, unhealthy.

Heinous Affront

Lilly is the one who
Took away her son,
Stole her most
Cherished treasure,
Left her sobbing alone
Without her beloved
First-born, her best
Friend and confidant,
The one she poured
All her dreams and
Unfulfilled aspirations into.
To make up for this
Heinous affront,
Olivia proffers strategic
Gifts to the children,
A premeditated maneuver to
Regain control.

Grown Children

A self-conscious
Group of dunces
Deeply enamored with
Their job titles and the
Sound of their own voices,
Ignorant of their
Limited intellects,
Making decisions reeking of
Ego and insecurity,
Grown children pretending
To be competent.

No Fanfare

They leave him
Lying there,
No fanfare,
Over the top public
Displays of grief,
Protracted processions,
Overwrought eulogies.
A lifeless piece of meat
Laying in the street,
Less than human,
What they really
Think of him,
Why they kill without
A second’s pause.