Ubiquitous talking head
Flaps his crooked mouth about
Character and poverty.
Finding yourself poor
Is a personal flaw caused
By the luck of the draw.
Lazy analysis of
Complex issues,
Ignoring obvious data.
Born with no opportunities,
Higher likelihood
You’ll stay there.
A young woman approaches him and
Voices her concerns which,
As usual, mean nothing
To him, after all, she’s
From the other camp.
He condescendingly lectures her
On right and wrong,
His moral code trumping all others,
Invalidating anyone who
Isn’t like him.
He tells her to listen but
Doesn’t extend the same courtesy,
Patriarchal dominance.
Without a hint of understanding,
He kills another dream.
Petulant children
Who lacked something
Or were given everything
Except scruples
Walk the halls
Scheming, machinating
Their next step to
Best someone else,
Destroy an adversary,
Twist a truth,
Pervert decency.
And for what?
Money,
Power,
That unresolved issue
That haunts them at
Night but never goes away
Because they don’t have
The courage to fix it.
Perpetuation of turmoil
By broken juveniles.
The true believers
Writhe ecstatically,
Chanting the free market
Mantra of magical
Companies taking care of
All of society’s ills.
What could be more equitable
Than allowing money-making entities
To run unfettered by pesky rules
That protect people from abuse?
Everything shall be provided,
Invisible hands will appear and
Make all necessary adjustments.
They smile contentedly as they
Watch their two-hundred dollar
A month cable and call their
Friends on two-hundred dollar
A month phones from providers
That don’t have a care in the world,
Least of all competition.
Champions of intolerance,
Waving a flag,
Holding a cross,
Extolling the absolute virtues
Of their constricted mindset,
Gather in agitated herds,
Facing outward to defend
Against the barbarians
Who don’t share their
Antiquated, reactionary
Perception of a world
Full of scary things,
Like people who don’t
Worship narrow-mindedness,
Ignorance, hatred.
The world continues to scream
For a generation of human beings
Who believe in love
Rather than hurt.
Something’s missing inside him.
Perhaps it’s that his father
Rarely spent time with him,
Or his mother was demanding.
In any case, he wanders through
Life hiding a painful ulcer,
A part of him that never heals.
In every one of his companies
His employees suffer the consequences of
How he was treated as a child.
They toil long hours for little pay,
With no benefits or future,
Enabling him to buy the toys
That will never bring him joy.
A veil of fear
Falls upon the land.
Outwardly robust but
Inwardly trembling minds
Devise strategies to
Keep everyone scared
To death
Of everything,
Like them.
Pervasive environment
Of insecurity,
A threat around every corner,
Masterminded by cowards
Unable to feel
Vulnerability
Or courage.
Arising from deep pain,
Struggles etched into psyche,
Internalized oppression crushing
Innocence – hope – independence,
Self-relegated to subservience.
Awarded the opportunity to succeed,
Leveling of the playing field
Mandated by people who understand
It’s not balanced, lingering specter of
Institutionalized marginalization.
With a dismissive sneer,
Chooses to take the shackles of
His forefathers and clasp them
Back on innocent wrists, ankles,
Wounded and wounding.
So, anyway…
I’ve had this weird pain
In my side for quite a while and
I asked my boss if I could
Go have it checked out.
He told me in no uncertain terms
That it was an inconvenience and
My pay would be docked.
I went to a doctor…
So much money for just
Sitting there waiting forever and
Only being seen for a couple minutes.
No coverage at work so
It comes out of my pocket,
Wonder if they’ll be mad at me
For missing a couple hours.
