All he’s able to
Feel is the fear
They keep driving
Into his already
Frazzled brain,
A constant pulse of
Anxiety and dread,
Pictures of horrible
Things happening
Everywhere, too much
To assimilate in any
Other way than panic,
Insidious affliction.
Her fate was decided behind
Closed doors. After some time,
They emerged from the chamber,
Delivered her sentence, a
Ruthless slap in the face
Administered by pusillanimous
Minions immune to truth.
A gaggle of feeble followers
Reinforcing each other’s
Frailties, susceptible to
Manipulation, incitement, the
Sustenance of the prostrate.
She’s so busy issuing
Insipid proclamations
About her own perception
Of the world that she
Neglects the limping
Casualties of her
Discomforting sunniness.
Everything is so wonderful
And organized in her eyes,
It couldn’t be any other way,
She can’t survive a day
Without imposing her
Unnecessary, unsolicited
Imprimatur of suitability.
A fragile crust of civility and
Self-satisfaction.
Practiced posturing.
Faces contorting laboriously,
Success stories volleyed
Back and forth, each more
Ungracious than the last, an
Ostentatious display of nihility.
Settling into oversize furniture,
Numbing drinks in hand, a
Selective catalog of books by
Small spewing minds, an
Overweening intimation of depth.
A flurry of strained graciousness,
High-school like social disgraces.
Scratch the surface to reveal
Festering unease.
Sneaking in with more than
A little help from his cronies,
He proceeds to destroy
Everything in sight,
Glorifying stupidity,
Exalting anti-intellectualism,
Wrecking the most basic
Of institutions, replacing them
With phony facades,
Watching with glee as the
Lemmings jump off the cliff,
Retiring to enjoy a
Lavish lifestyle funded by
The blood of many locked away in
Offshore bank accounts,
Not a care in the world.
Not having experienced
Unconditional love,
Memories of harshly
Intoned words,
Belittling snide looks,
Constant jabs at
Budding self-esteem
Pervade unsettled sleep.
He becomes a leader and
Is faced with the
Universal choice:
Compassion or retribution.
He looks deep inside,
Finds nothing to draw upon
But a staggering
Compulsion to vanquish.
A person,
Given all the power,
Takes a moment,
Decides to change the world.
Helps the few,
Ignores the many.
An avalanche.
Mountains crumble,
Structures tumble,
A general grumble.
A man self-made through the
Uncompensated toil of countless
Beings, mistreated, unconsidered,
Property in a ledger.
Affluence and individuality wrapped
In a banner of civility and tradition.
Hushed voices in ramshackle surroundings
Document a different story.
Proud, self-sufficient, bearer of
The standard, the vulnerable are
Expended, fortifying social standing,
Fueling savage prosperity.
Speaking to a group of
Factory workers, he
Conveniently fails to
Mention that he is
A proud union buster,
The kind of person who
Shafts the little guy
To favor corporations
Dedicated to paying their
Employees as little as
They possibly can
Get away with
Before anyone notices that
All the money is going
In one direction.
