So hard to be nice,
At least it
Seems that way to them,
Perhaps because
No one was there
To demonstrate,
Maybe because
They refuse to heal.
So, might as well
Bring everyone
Down with them.
Toxicity breeds
In its own universe,
Oozing unhappiness,
Agitated, bitter,
Lashing out furiously
At ever-present foes,
Bringing down with it
All that is not
Like itself.
What a difference
Between the person who
Feels the suffering
Of another human being
And the one who can’t,
Or won’t.
What dissimilar
Paths they travel and
Worlds create,
One caring,
The other harsh, cruel.
Violent, rigid parenting
Forming people who see
The world as a harsh,
Adversarial nightmare where
Countless imaginary enemies
Must be forced into submission.
An unquenchable yearning for safety;
Single-minded conquest,
Remorseless cruelty.
It’s always the same story,
The damaged imposing their
Will on the vulnerable,
But it doesn’t have to
Be this way.
Pontificating about how
We all need to
Come together and
How important community is,
Conveniently overlooking
The reprehensible beliefs
He holds that created
The problem
In the first place.
Inside him burns a
Fervent urge to go up to
Someone and tell them
What to do.
Unable to look at himself,
He finds ways to
Obnoxiously impose his
Insecurities on others,
Wrapping them in platitudes
About caring for humanity
Or being a moral person,
Obscuring the truth of
His twisted existence,
The need to stand
On someone’s head,
Feel safe for a moment.
Joy snatched from him
At an early age.
All he can think about
Is retribution.
He’ll do the same to them
That was done to him.
Lack of insight, creativity,
Ability to grow.
Perpetuating suffering
Without remorse.
So many other things
He could do instead.
It’s really not
Unreasonable to envision,
And build, a world
Where everyone has a
Real chance to succeed
And community matters more
Than allowing some misanthrope
In a lavish castle to
Hoard most of the wealth.
It’s not out of the question
To behave like the empathic
Beings we are and make sure
No damaged person can
Take advantage of others.
Fairness is an achievable
Goal but for the few
Who don’t believe in it
And make sure, at any cost,
That it doesn’t materialize.
People at the top
Who don’t care about
Anyone or anything else
Other than amassing
More and more stuff,
Piling it in heaps and
Admiring their
Hoarding prowess,
Backing politicians
Who vow to help them
Keep it all,
Share none of it,
Keep flattering themselves
And blathering on about
How they’re somehow
Better than others
And not just lucky.
