poems about brokenness

Generally

He’s a generally caring guy,
Has even been known to do
Kind things for people whom
He doesn’t even know.

He’s got a steady moral compass,
Treats people the way
He would like to be treated,
And smiles at others on the street.

The veneer of civility starts
Cracking whenever something happens
That arouses latent passions,
Hidden presumptions.

Rapid metamorphosis
From mild and affable
To unfeeling, unforgiving,
His true self awakened.

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Takers

He possesses
Little wealth,
But an overabundance
Of zeal and
Energy which he
Avidly channels into
Advocating against causes
That help the poor,
The disenfranchised,
The vulnerable;
Deriving great satisfaction
From depriving children
Of a meal, a bed,
Human dignity.
“Takers,”
He hisses as he
Deposits his
Disability check.

Shell

His life
Expendable,
Skin color
Being a determinant
Factor in assessing
The lack of value of a
Human being.

Death sentence
Delivered by a shell of
A person,
Images of his father
Shouting at him
Playing on a never-ending
Loop in his head.

Shrug it off,
Fabricate some middle school
Quality explanation of
What happened,
Those predisposed will
Buy it, he did what
He had to do.

Dismissive

They look the other way
When one of their own
Goes after those they fear,
A revolting alliance of
Bigots defending a
Foul state of affairs,
Dismissive of people
Who have genuine grievances,
Eager agents of supremacy,
The putrid face of
Unbridled privilege.

Juveniles

Petulant children
Who lacked something
Or were given everything
Except scruples
Walk the halls
Scheming, machinating
Their next step to
Best someone else,
Destroy an adversary,
Twist a truth,
Pervert decency.
And for what?
Money,
Power,
That unresolved issue
That haunts them at
Night but never goes away
Because they don’t have
The courage to fix it.
Perpetuation of turmoil
By broken juveniles.

Yard

He hid the secret from his
Parents, a lovely couple who
Never made waves but were
About to find out what chaos
Means when his prized pet
Jumped the fence and attacked
Their closest friend in the
Neighborhood. A perfunctory
Slew of incredulity and denial
Followed the painfully foreseeable,
Preventable act only missed
By those who couldn’t think
Beyond their own yard.

Inside

Something’s missing inside him.
Perhaps it’s that his father
Rarely spent time with him,
Or his mother was demanding.
In any case, he wanders through
Life hiding a painful ulcer,
A part of him that never heals.

In every one of his companies
His employees suffer the consequences of
How he was treated as a child.
They toil long hours for little pay,
With no benefits or future,
Enabling him to buy the toys
That will never bring him joy.

Wounded

Arising from deep pain,
Struggles etched into psyche,
Internalized oppression crushing
Innocence – hope – independence,
Self-relegated to subservience.

Awarded the opportunity to succeed,
Leveling of the playing field
Mandated by people who understand
It’s not balanced, lingering specter of
Institutionalized marginalization.

With a dismissive sneer,
Chooses to take the shackles of
His forefathers and clasp them
Back on innocent wrists, ankles,
Wounded and wounding.

Disheartenment

Living a hardscrabble existence
Regardless of wealth,
Perceiving the world
As infinitely dangerous.

Nothing will change his mind,
A worldview burned into
His being, inseparable from
Self-image, identity.

Violence, darkness,
Gaping, weeping wounds,
Debilitating fear,
Disheartenment.