poems about brokenness

Tough Talk

How easy it is
To dismiss an
Entire segment of
The population,
Of human beings,
By simply saying
That they’re lazy,
Or that they’re
Lucky to get the
Pittance they receive
To barely subsist
Instead of meaningful
Opportunities to
Succeed on their own,
Or that they should
Just go out and get
A job when there
Aren’t any.
Tough talk is cheap,
Real solutions require
Nuance and compassion.

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Dysfunction

The conflict
Came to a boil
Quickly and was
Dealt with in a
Clandestine,
Inequitable,
One-sided manner
By people
Engorged with
Their own power
But without
The ability to
Do anything
But perpetuate
Strife and
Dysfunction.

Simply Listen

Facing each other
In a quiet room,
She lets her guard down,
Talking about things
That haven’t been
Allowed to surface before.
He interrupts her,
It being more important
To show how wise he is
Than to simply listen.

Depressingly Discernible

Delivering yet another
Monologue
On the same tired subject
He’s recounted a thousand
Times before, it’s
Depressingly
Discernible that he’s
Never listened to
Someone else’s
Point of view or
Made room for any other
Narrative but his.

Cornucopia

Love conditional,
Kindness doled out
In meager portions,
Dependent on
Self-interest,
How it makes
Him look, not how
It makes the other
Person feel.
Cold,
Calculating,
A cornucopia
Brimming
With nothing.

Tormented

A hapless, powerless
Human being is beaten
To a bloody pulp
And allowed to die
By a group of arrogant,
Reckless hooligans
Employed by the state.

A tormented community
Takes to the streets,
Venting repressed anger,
A shared history of
Maltreatment and prosecution.
A smarmy politician
Bemoans the destruction.

For Himself

He’s mortally afraid
That they’ll
Take away
What he has.

He’s indignant
That they’ll get
Something for free
And he won’t.

He writhes at the
Thought of someone
Undeserving usurping
His position.

He fights vociferously
When it’s even
Remotely suggested
That he share.

A social conscience
As yet undeveloped,
Living only
For himself.

Between the Two

He didn’t realize
What he had said,
He never did,
But she knew, and
It increased the
Already vast space
Between the two,
Each in his or her
Own part of the
Universe, going
About life.

Chronic

Many years passed and
There arose the dismaying
Realization that they
Had never reflected on
Anything, reconsidered
Their actions, grown
In any way, understood
The implications of
What they did; if anything,
It had become worse,
Setting the stage for
Chronic stuntedness.