poems about brokenness

Disasters

As disasters both
Natural and man-made
Tear at the landscape,
One wonders whether
They still adhere to their
Premise that charities can
Take care of everything,
Even though it’s nonsensical to
Believe that people would give
Billions upon billions,
Over and over,
To help those ravaged by misfortune,
But there’s no way to
Talk them out of their misguided
Fantasies rooted in pessimistic
Dogma rather than reality.

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Air-Conditioned Comfort

Lounging in air-conditioned
Comfort, Flipping absent-mindedly
Through hundreds of TV channels,
She bemoans the fact that
Everything is so boring,
That there’s nothing to do in this
Swanky neighborhood, that
They’ve gone to all the restaurants,
Shopped at all the stores,
Attended every gala,
Socialized with all the right people, and
Never for one second thought about
The little girl sitting in a
Sweltering shanty, wondering if
She’ll have anything to eat today.

Not a Second Thought

One outrage after
Another.

No limit to their
Depravity.

Reveling in
Cruelty.

Decency
Upended.

Self-interest
Supreme.

Not a second thought
About the suffering.

Dangerous Place

Looking through the window
He sees only war, perceiving
Everything as a battle,
As something to be won,
An adversary to be exterminated.

“When something bad is
Lurking around every corner,
Ready to attack you,
You have to hit first,”
He mutters automatically.

The world viewed as a dangerous place,
Where everyone is an enemy
Who must be engaged with violence,
Internal turmoil played out in public,
Only one direction to go in.

Words Never Said

The words never said,
Situation unacknowledged,
Validation absent,
A continuing cycle of
Missed opportunities and
Absurd stubbornness,
An all-consuming need
To feel important.

Born into a Struggling Family

Born into a struggling family,
Never enough money for rent,
Electricity shut off regularly,
Parents fighting constantly
Over finances,
Stuck in low-wage jobs
Designed to keep them
Exactly where they are
In perpetuity
By people far better off
Than they are,
The same ones who
Look at them disapprovingly,
Labeling them lazy.

Values

At the point that
You’ve got a group of
People refusing to
Fund education for children,
Gloating about it
Without a hint of shame,
You realize that the
Situation is more dire
Than one might have imagined,
That people can lose the
Part of them that
Cares for others and
Values the common good.

Lifeless

A lifeless dinner party,
Superficial conversation
Interspersed with
Large silences,
Tight smiles,
People who can barely
Tolerate each other,
The hostess trying hard
To pretend it’s
All going well.