Lavish gifts
Showered on cronies,
Monumental resistance to
Providing pathetic pittances
For toiling families.
Loud cackling protest when
Aid is given to
The inferior,
Unworthy,
A wink when
Funneled to
Unaccountable players.
A cut for the needy,
Meager minds content.
Fragile,
Requiring constant care,
Vigilance,
Reverence for the common good.
How easily it is
Torn apart by
Indifference, greed, myopia.
Taken for granted
Until it’s not there any more,
People in disbelief,
Wondering what happened.
Logical extension,
Abstract philosophy
Becomes reality.
Involuntary servitude,
Forced labor for
No wages,
Unregulated ownership of
Everything, everyone.
Severe order imposed,
Ruthless opportunists
Extinguishing dignity,
Independence.
There will always be poverty,
Uttered nonchalantly,
No realization of the crushing
Weight of words,
How they doom millions to
Lives of scorn,
Limited opportunities.
Casually mentioned phrase,
Self-fulfilling prophecy.
Lives in fear of those who are
Not the same. Perhaps they’ll
Come today. They might
Take everything away,
Usurp his power.
Invites a collage of people to
Spend some time, talk, laugh.
Growth surges, strength builds.
An open smile.
What a great idea.
In our democracy,
Let’s make it
Harder to vote
For certain people.
Erect additional obstacles,
Require photo I.D. to vote,
After all, you need
Identification for other things,
Your papers please.
Posse of stunted children
Sitting around a table,
Reinforcing each other’s
Pain, fear, anxiety,
Changing world.
Losing power,
Lash out against the powerless,
Limit their rights,
Cling to waning,
Perceived supremacy.
Quick bites,
Manageable chunks,
Empty platitudes
Satisfy cravings.
Minions inadvertently,
Eagerly doing the
Bidding for plutocrats.
Hone the message,
Muddy the waters,
Reap the rewards,
Funnel the spoils upward,
Perpetuate the cycle.
Carefully orchestrated,
Purposefully planned and
Coordinated derogation of
Community organizing.
Chuckling in their suites,
Shaking their heads,
How easy to instigate,
Perpetuate the movement.
Concerted effort
Masquerading as populism,
Passionate followers
Marching in unison.
They closed the
Supermarket he and his
Family shopped at,
The only one nearby,
The last vestige of
Normalcy in a strip mall
Populated by predatory
Loan places and
Thrift stores.
Now the only store left
In the neighborhood
Where they can buy food
Is the convenience store,
Where everything costs
A lot more and
Stretches their meager
Budget even more than
It already is.
People ask him why he
Doesn’t just drive to
Another store,
He politely keeps his
Response to himself,
It’s just not that easy
To drive when you don’t
Make enough money to afford
A car, insurance, or gas.
