Insincere
Permanent smile,
Expressionless eyes
Betraying complete
Lack of remorse.
Compassion absent,
Ridiculed.
Open wounds festering
Within.
Insecurity, pain
Manifested in callous
Disregard for
Human life.
Conquer,
Punish,
Eliminate.
Just moved to
A new community
Dramatically different from
The one we knew.
Welcomed with open arms,
Invited into people’s homes,
Warm hospitality,
Friendly conversations.
Within a few weeks,
Grew uncomfortable,
Didn’t agree with
Certain people’s lifestyle.
Too different,
Too big city,
Too lenient,
Let our feelings
Be known.
Ostracized for
Standing up for what we
Believe in,
Our values,
Our inflexible certitude.
Let me make as much noise as
I can. Look at me, I’m as happy
As can be. Sputtering, vibrating,
Carefully maintained for maximum
Decibel enjoyment. Sit by my side,
Look out the window and
Talk about nothing.
Needs unmet when most needed.
Safety compromised. Self taken
Away without consideration. The
Unwavering hand dispensing justice.
Mouth open, stuffed with a benevolent
Rag. Stirring below, the memory of
What might have been. Order before
Love.
Somewhere in the
Recesses of his mind,
The tight feeling
In the stomach,
Two days since the
Last shared
Convenience store burrito.
Unwashed clothes
Discarded by others.
Sudden moves in the
Middle of the night,
Another motel,
New set of strange faces.
The shouting, chaos,
Lack of privacy, peace.
Missing school again.
Memories too painful
Engender a caustic
Loathing toward
Those suffering a
Similar plight
Just a couple of
Miles away,
Lest he return.
He looks out
Over the grounds,
Turns and
Shuts the door.
It would be nice if, just once,
You thought of someone who
Is not you. Not that there’s anything
Wrong with the way you impose
Your damage on those who are
Required to love you, pause.
It’s clear to everyone but you
How you feel about yourself.
Don’t do a thing, everyone else
Will adjust, bend, break.
No one there.
No one there.
Where’d they go?
I don’t know.
I’ll wait a moment.
I’ll wait a lifetime.
I’ll wait no longer.
I’ll wait perpetually.
He went to his grave
Without having to
Say I’m sorry,
Leaving behind a legacy of
Pain and destruction
Born of pettiness and fear,
Helping no one,
Advancing no noble cause,
Only there to tend to
His abject brokenness.
Many years spent together.
Many conversations and the
Shared, familiar laughter of
Congenial experience.
Harmonious chatter,
Joyful exchanges.
Always there for me.
Always understanding what I was
Thinking or saying. Always talking,
That’s how I returned the favor.
Now I make up stories about
How you were because I
Never asked or listened.
