They loathe public education
Because it makes it far
More likely that someone
Born into poverty will be
Able to transcend her station
And succeed in life, thus
Presenting an existential
Threat to those who are
Currently in power and
Fearful their reign shall
Not continue uninterrupted.
Pander to fears and prejudices,
Devise a hated enemy to
Satiate the wrath of the mob,
Incite to violence.
Us versus them,
Someone else not quite as
Human as we are,
Different in some way.
Trash any impulse to
Collaborate with others,
Label them some horrible thing,
Untrue, unjustified, unhinged.
Fragmentation weakening foundations,
Eroding commonalities,
An opportunistic savior
Capitalizes on division.
So, it’s really
Not that complicated:
Just treat other
People nicely.
Don’t step on
Someone’s neck when
A simple kind word
Will do.
We only have this
One fragile planet to
Co-exist on,
Rising or falling together.
Sure, we can selfishly
Destroy one another,
But there are
Far better options.
Flustered,
Bewildered,
Off-balance.
They seek
Comfort and solace
From the strongman
Promising to
Return them to the
Safety they never
Really felt in the
First place and
Upon which the
Bellwethers rely.
He explodes at the
Thought that someone
Else is getting something
For nothing; after all,
He’s worked for everything
He owns and has never received
Any assistance from anyone,
Except for his father, mother,
Uncle, friends, old classmates,
The system that keeps his
People in power, the
Infrastructure that helps
Him make money, the programs
He’s accessed when he’s
Needed help, the court system
That tilts in his favor, but
None of that matters, because
He’s somehow different.
During their house hunt,
His wife marvels at the
Modern kitchens and gushes
About everything she will
Be able to do and how much
Easier it will be.
He stands mute,
Staring at his shoes,
Hoping nothing breaks
The spell that keeps her
Serving his every need.
They bellow angrily about the
Urgent need to save our nation
From becoming a nightmarish
Place where everyone is
Treated equally, where each
Person enjoys the same opportunity
Regardless of who their parents are or
Where they live, a place
Where anyone can marry, where
No one walking down the street
Has to fear being shot by a
Fellow citizen or symbols in uniform,
Where a few rich people can’t
Own everything and leave nothing
For everyone else, where the deck
Isn’t stacked against you because of
What you look like,
Where we work together as a
Community instead of eyeing
Each other with suspicion,
Where we care for one another
Instead of trying to win.
It’s clear that they
Are unable to understand
What it’s like to be
Systematically put down,
To have your choices limited,
Your very humanity challenged
Because of the color of your skin,
The fear that courses
Through your veins when you
Feel the disdain they
Have for you because they’re
Unwilling to give up what
They’re accustomed to and
Have gained at your expense.
The washer and dryer
Sit unused since
Her death;
He says she really
Did a great job
With them.
He doesn’t use them,
Not because he doesn’t
Know how to, but because
He thinks it’s a chore
Better left to
Someone else.
