Peace requires a
Bit more thought
Than blindly lashing out,
Stepping on another
Human being for personal gain,
Craving some fleeting sense of
Safety, superiority.
Inside each of us is
The wherewithal to
Heal ourselves so we may
Love others.
He’ll never
Say it out loud,
At least not to
Anyone but his closest
Friends and family
Members who agree
With him, but he
Misses the days when
People knew their place,
And he was at the
Top of the heap,
And nobody
Questioned it.
Once-distant sounds
Intensely reverberating,
Return of suspicion,
Hatred, contempt for the
Unfamiliar, lack of
Tolerance and curiosity,
Marching in lockstep to
The exhortations of
Another furious ringleader,
Vicious howls of recognition,
Slide into darkness.
I saw a person today wearing
A T-shirt defending the
Civil Rights Movement and
I was deeply grateful that
There are people of conscience
Who are willing to stand in
Solidarity against hatred
And bigotry. History has
Shown us far too often
What happens when people
Don’t speak up.
They come out
In droves,
Reasserting their
Flagging supremacy,
Sending a message
That they’re not
Done yet with this
Unearned position
Seized by force.
History will reveal
Who they really are.
We’re the ones who wouldn’t
Pay taxes to support schools,
Who fought to deny
Medical care to millions,
Applauded as money was
Taken from working families and
Channeled to the wealthy,
Cheered when corporations became people,
Laughed as the planet overheated.
We’re the ones who self-righteously
Imposed our beliefs on others,
Encouraged discrimination,
Vilified anyone who didn’t agree with us,
Mocked vulnerable groups.
We’re the ones who
Voted in insurrectionists who
Broke the government and
Eroded democracy,
We sat in our castles,
Hoarding our gold,
Looked the other way
When everyone needed help,
Scoffed at the idea that we’re
All in this together.
They say you’re supposed to
Leave the world a little better
Than when you found it,
We didn’t.
He feels left behind,
Like he doesn’t
Matter anymore.
Things used to be
So different,
Opportunity abounded.
He and his buddies
Could always count on
A job at the plant.
Then the companies went away,
Leaving behind
Confusion and anger.
He wants to turn it all
Upside down,
Tear everything apart.
He entrusts
The wrong people
To do it.
Reducing human beings
To categories and fates,
A lamentable history of
Imposed disparity,
Lapse of humanity.
Her income stagnant
For so many years,
Cost of everything
Increasing.
Productivity is up,
Gloat the people
At the top,
Their income rising.
All the money
Flowing upward,
Everyone else
Spiralling downward.
