poems about brokenness

Hello

On a day much like this or
Any other, he went down to
The laundry room and met the
Love of his life.

She was everything he dreamed of,
He couldn’t believe his good fortune
Until she said something that
Changed him.

Apprehensive, he stepped back,
Unable to make sense of what he’d
Just heard. He replayed the word in
His mind.

A greeting, followed by a smile, was all it
Took to remind him of every hair out of place,
Past failure, pulsing uncertainty,
Step forward, hello.

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After the Heart Attack

After the
Heart attack,
He gained an amazing
Lack of revelation.

Instead of celebrating
Good fortune and the
Gift of life, he
Doubled down on rancor.

Much to be done,
More wealth to amass
More people to
Gleefully crush.

He Was Asked

And so he was asked if he
Would take a look at himself and
He graciously declined as he always
Had and kept living his life as he
Knew how. A time came when his
Mettle was tested by circumstance and
He was again encouraged to examine
Himself and he blithely put it off another
Day until it was time to pass and he
Lay alone wishing he understood
Who he was all these years and why
He hadn’t tried to find out.

Preserving

Nothing is more important
To him than preserving
His laughable facade of
Strength and authority,
Even the loss of
Important relationships is
Not a deterrent to
Maintaining a lie.
He dies weak and alone,
The way he lived.

Destructor

In comes the destructor with
Righteous carriage and
Assured gait, a gift not
Beholden to human niceties or
Cumbersome compassion.

Methodically eviscerates all
He dislikes with swift saber
Strokes of skepticism and
Tantrum. He knows the way and
Will get it one way or another.

Rationality

Waiting on heightened alert,
Ready to spring into action in a
Millisecond against foes real and
Imagined.

Shadows appear where none exist,
Certainty eclipses rationality,
Bravado masks fear unattended and
Believed.

Battle

It was clear from the very beginning
That something wasn’t quite right;
An insincere smile, a stare that
Lasted uncomfortably long.

Inevitably, inexorably, the tone changes.
Talons emerge, words more savage.
Spitting, hissing, leering, the battle for
Dominance commences.

Overconfidence brings its sister
Insecurity to the party. Unable to
Subdue the unease, they proceed to
Spread their discord.

Emanating

Though they’ll never
Admit it,

Cowardice hiding
Behind secrecy,

They don’t like him
Because he’s not like them,

He’s different,
Other, foreign.

They can’t fathom how someone
Historically subservient,

Though they won’t
Say it in public,

Can hold a position of
Authority above them.

Fetid waves of
Hysterical fear,

Weakness, prejudice,
Fuming at perceived

Loss of power,
A deeper impulse

Emanating from
Foul precedent.

Release

No matter how much evidence or
Fact is involved, make sure to hang
On to flimsy defensive devices,
Ensuring perpetual paralysis.

Clear a wide swath of disconsolate
Despair. Never budge; even the
Slightest gesture a capitulation to
Those who would unmask you.

Outside your sphere of comprehension,
Compassionate eyes keep a vigil.
Awaiting awakening, earnest
Hope for insight and release.