He sat down with his child,
Who looked up at him expectantly,
For what was billed as a
Friendly game but rapidly
Descended into a sordid battle
To assert supremacy and
Bolster self-worth at the expense of
A trusting, unsuspecting victim.
The merciless vanquishing of
A defenseless bird at the whim of an
Insatiably wanting coward.
Wake up and face the day,
A deep breath of self-righteousness,
Inner convictions bred by
Toxicity and despair.
Many decisions to be made,
People to disregard and marginalize.
Awash in unwavering moral certitude,
Drunk with dominance.
Shun independence of thought,
Nuance, compassion, critical thinking.
Common-sense corrupted,
Contaminated.
A fetid bandage hides what
You won’t look at in yourself.
People have
Given their
Lives
For you
To say
You’re not
One of those,
So you can
Live the life
You’ve become
Accustomed to,
Reap
The rewards
Without
Putting in
The effort,
Revel in your
Voluntary
Myopia
Aggravated by
Ignorance,
Insensitivity.
It’s funny
How
The way
You look
Determines
How
People
Treat you,
Even
When
You can’t
Change
It.
They’ve been friends
For the longest time
And are enjoying a fun
Day in nature,
Climbing around
On the rocks,
Laughing, joking,
Sharing stories,
The comfortable ease
Of familiarity.
She loses her balance
And falls, her landing
Reverberating disturbingly.
He comes to her aid.
Unable to touch her,
Or show her how much
He cares, he utters
Awkward words of dubious
Reassurance, “At least
You’re alive!”
This was to be the day.
Behind a stern moustache he was
Afraid of rainbows. They destroyed
The natural order of imposed
Dominance and rigid structure.
A sneer dismisses all vestiges of
Hope and fancy as a child laying
On his back, admiring clouds on a
Balmy day and jabbing a fork in his
Forearm to displace enjoyment.
Stop the fun, halt the relish,
Live where dreams go to die,
An unreturned greeting.
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.
When they feel
Empty inside
They urgently try to
Fill the hole,
Satisfy the cravings,
Find meaning anywhere,
Still the noise,
Buttress inner atrophy.
An unforgiving parasite
Sucking the hope out of
All who approach.
Hidden deep inside,
Plainly manifest.
At some point
His eyes glaze over
And any emotions
He once had inside
Become a vague,
Unspecified numbness.
The ensuing atrophy of
Empathy, joy, love,
Inexorably congeals
Into a lifeless,
Paralyzed mass of
Stark insensitivity.
He plods through the
Remainder of his life,
Smearing his disease
On others, leaving
Behind a legacy of
Unhealed wounds.
