poems about brokenness

Removed

An acquaintance from
Many years ago,
Some professional context,
Pleasantries exchanged
In the civil respectful tone
Of imposed interaction,
Superficial conversation of
No particular consequence,
A lingering unease.
Making the eventual mistake of
Connecting on social media,
To be cordial,
Dismayed, saddened, at seeing
How much she fears and hates
People who aren’t like her,
A distant contact becomes
Even more removed.

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Debris

Avarice clouds
Judgment.
The innocent
Fall by the wayside.
A cloud of mendacity.
Piles of refuse and debris.
The remains of
Many before who
Succumbed to the whims of
Meager, broken minds.

Trash

So afraid of the churning
Rabble of miscreant panhandlers
Maliciously trying to get
Their grubby hands
On his wealth,
He went to great pains
Minimizing and demonizing,
A self-appointed,
Scepter-shaking saint,
Piously declaring
Them trash.

Gathering

They stand around,
Chests puffed out like
So many parading turkeys,
Trying to best each other
With stories of dubious
Exploits and successes.
The same anecdotes bandied
About with little variation
From year to year,
Reliving past glories
That never existed
In the first place.
Gathering after gathering,
No change or growth
Infiltrates their ritual,
Just obstinate sameness.

Capitulation

Although I wish
It were different,
I have no expectation
That it will ever change –
Stubbornness being
One of those qualities
That doesn’t lend itself
To self-reflection or
Capitulation of any kind;
The need to protect a
Molten core of fear
Much stronger than any
Noble impulse.

Instance

He remembered the one instance
His father spent time with him.
An autumn day, the smell of
Nature invigorating. Quietly
Walking along, leaves alternately
Crunching and squishing.
Rivulets sparkling; a bubbling,
Gurgling, comforting symphony.
An arm around his shoulder,
Only that one time.

Conventional

Deeply conventional,
Revering tradition and
Established practices.

Unconsciously submissive,
Loathing authority but
Following strongmen.

Acutely unimaginative,
Copying rather than
Creating anew.

Impulsively aggressive,
Quick to anger
When challenged.

Fiercely disliking
Anyone who isn’t
The same.

Profoundly hypocritical,
Living in compartments of
Contradictions and myopia.

Intensely dogmatic,
Unwilling to change,
Immune to reason.

Fair

He won’t bat an eye
At spending obscene
Amounts of dough on
Advertising or superfluous
Giveaways but he’ll
Fight to the last breath
Over paying his employees
A living wage or providing
Health care of any kind.
No contortion or legal
Maneuver is too outlandish
When it comes to
Stiffing his people.
No matter how much
Time or money it costs,
He’ll endeavor to not give
Them one more cent than
His meager mind deems fair.
He settles into bed
In one of his seven
Vacation homes,
Sleep undisturbed.

Their Place

At the same time
He discriminates
Against others,
He reasserts his
Belief that he
Is being
Discriminated against
And that his already
Dominant group
Should stand up
For itself against
The multihued infidels
Who are uppity
Enough to question
Their place.