Sarah reads her father
A story, just like
He did when she was a
Little girl. She kisses
Him on the forehead and
Wishes him a good night.
Quietly closing the door,
She wonders how they will
Pay for his medical bills.
A handsome
Business person,
Impeccably dressed
And manicured,
Walks over to a
Homeless individual.
There are many choices
That can be made at
Times like these,
Each leading in
A particular
Direction.
He addresses
The tattered figure
Lying on the ground,
Telling him to
Quit being lazy
And get a job.
Out of all the choices
Available to them,
This being a country
Where people actually
Have that luxury,
They decide that hurting
Human beings is
The best they can do,
As if someone told them
That the world is a
Horrible, dark place
Where others are
Out to get you unless you
Destroy them first.
In an enormously wealthy
Nation, cruelty exists
As a pastime relished by
Malefactors with nothing
Better to do than
Step on another neck
To feel better about
Themselves for a moment
While deliriously rolling in
Stacks of money,
Reminding themselves and
Their accomplices how much
Better they are than
Those other people.
A strange unease from an
Otherwise ordinary interaction
Occurring at an unusual time.
Message with undertones of
Manipulation, control.
Not everything is well here.
Something else is bound to
Go awry, undesirable circumstance;
Wait for it and hope for the best.
Hard words hit
The psyche, shaping it
Into something it
Wasn’t intended to be,
A bleak, unforgiving place
Where cruelty is normal,
Kindness ridiculed,
Each harsh moment of existence
Another void to fill
With something else grim,
Further suffocating.
Seduced by its
Enticing allure,
He’ll go to any length
To possess it,
Feel it permeate his being,
Cradle him in the comfort of
Knowing he’s above others,
Holding their fate in his hands,
Able to extinguish their lives
If he wishes – mesmerizing,
Intoxicating, dehumanizing.
Used to getting his way,
He’s unable to handle
The most innocuous of
Challenges to his expectations,
There not being much,
If anything, to discuss
Once the terrible trespass
Upon his sovereignty has
Occurred, no doubt an
Intentional slight, meant to
Impugn him in some way,
Gross intentional malice.
So, it happens again,
And again, and another
Time, the unthinkable
Becoming commonplace.
Platitudes will be
Uttered half-heartedly,
Betraying the truth.
They’ll do nothing
To protect us,
The all-powerful dollar
Feeds their all-consuming
Lust for power.
