Words brandished to
Denigrate,
Castigate,
Eviscerate,
Leave for dead.
Worry not about
Lazy,
Flawed,
Common,
Not part of the clique,
Malcontents.
We made it because of
Our mettle,
Exceptional work ethic,
Intelligence.
They languish in dependent
Mediocrity,
No match for
Superior genes.
After her second shift
Today, she stands in
Line at the grocery
Store, the kind where
No one is buying
Extravagant luxury items,
Just dull, unremarkable
Staples made especially
For people without means
Who have no other choice
But to bear whatever is
Tossed at them, knowing
That endless opportunity
May exist somewhere but
Doesn’t show its face
Around here very often.
Their ultimate goal
Has always been rule by
An aristocracy.
To get there they have to
Convince vulnerable people to
Vote against their own interests.
It must be done without
Letting their victims know
It’s happening.
They devise a concerted
Campaign of obfuscation and
Disorientation.
They demonize various groups,
Categorizing them as
Evil, foreign, other.
They starve vital institutions
And then blame it on a
Failure of government.
They wave flags and
Appeal to raw
Nationalism.
They exploit the very
Fear and uncertainty
Their own policies engender.
They set up a
Media apparatus that
Constantly blares the message.
The opposition does nothing
To stop the onslaught,
Providing no counterbalance.
A bewildered, angry mob rises,
Making desperate choices
Based on blatant misinformation.
He has the authority
To protect people,
It’s his job,
He chooses instead to
Intimidate and terrorize,
A monster working out
Unresolved personal issues on others,
A deep lack of inner security
Manifested in outward bullying,
Craving power and control,
Repaying those who originally
Eviscerated him,
Abusing with impunity.
Their public services were
Just fine when their
Elected officials cared
About people, then came
A different group that
Assured everyone the
Private sector could and
Would do a better job.
Over time, it became clear
That businesses were indeed
Proficient at making profits
For themselves but
Not so great at providing
The services that people
Had grown accustomed to and
That now cost more and were
Less reliable due to the
Omnipotent bottom line.
Disrupt
Divide
Disorganize
Disorient
Much weaker
Alone
Against
A giant
Confuse
Disarrange
Shuffle
Obliterate
One guy fumes at
Giving his hard-earned money
To people who don’t deserve it,
Freeloaders leeching off the system.
He calls it an unfair
Downward redistribution of wealth,
Rewarding slackers instead of
Individuals who work hard.
Another guy considers
That you can’t create an equitable
Society out of people who are
Only looking out for themselves,
Where wealth is
Exclusively channeled upward
Instead of apportioned
For the common good.
A wave of discontent
Razes all traces of
Normalcy and leaves a
Gaping void that some
Charlatan eagerly steps
Into, promising to
Return everything to
Some mythic stasis,
Where everything was okay
And everyone knew
His place, a land of
Promise for a few.
Their family was forced
To flee to unfamiliar
Shores where they would
Work hard to become successful.
A small shop became an
International enterprise
Extending back to the
Land of their birth.
They sit around the table
Discussing ways to deny the
Same opportunity to others
Facing similar circumstances.
They wistfully summon
Memories of the old country,
Of simpler times and
Time-honored customs.
