The same salesman in
A different suit,
Promising opportunity
For the many, delivering
Obscene wealth to the few,
Consolidating power
At the top.
Just another sleazy,
Unscrupulous con artist,
Out for what he and
His buddies can get
At the expense of
Saps who don’t
Belong to the club.
He amasses a fortune
Larger than the
Gross domestic product
Of many nations.
This is where he’s
Always wanted to be,
A place where he
Reigns supreme.
All that matters is
House number nine,
Car number fifty-seven,
Continuous gluttonous consumption.
He works night and day,
The maintenance of
His preeminence
Paramount.
Never a thought given
To using his wealth to
Make a meaningful
Difference in the world.
Living at the shelter
With her two children,
She hears about a
Room for rent that
She can almost afford
On her earnings at the
Restaurant where she
Smiles at customers who
Have no idea she has
Nowhere to live and
Not enough money to
Change the situation.
Such a beautiful visage,
Alabaster skin, lapis eyes
Imbued with repressive fear,
Pervasive perplexity,
A delicate flower outraged
By the most gentle breeze.
An unfamiliar face
Elicits horror, bewilderment.
A dissimilar lifestyle
Summarily reviled,
Fortified with maudlin pomp,
Virtuous certainty.
Smile, keep up
Your poise and decorum.
Don’t cede an inch,
They aren’t like you anyway,
So pure, so kind,
So lovely.
An intransigent cabal
That will not budge
No matter how many people
Live without dignity,
Starve in plain sight,
Wander the streets.
Inconceivably broad swaths
Of society condemned to
Lives of suffering and toil,
Lack of opportunities,
Just to avoid
Upsetting the wealthy.
The two pass on the
Street in front of a
Bank, neither sees the
Other, one on her way
To an assembly line
Job, the other entering
The building and walking
Into a well-appointed
Office with a plaque on
The door indicating his
Special title, his
Exceptional position in
Society because of all
The money he lords over and
Others don’t. He chuckles
With a colleague about
Haves and have nots,
Winners and losers,
Survival of the fittest,
Ruling class diversions.
I remember the moment he
Referred to me as a competitor,
Collaboration pettily smashed
Into a million jagged shards.
Inflated ego,
Simmering insecurity,
Infirm sense of self.
Rapacious hunger for
Power, prestige, position,
Civility – camaraderie – a casualty.
Close the gates, boil the oil,
Needless battle begun.
Sitting around
Talking about nothing
In particular,
They notice that
They’re physically
Stronger than them;
That they can impose
Their will through
Force rather than
Negotiation or
Compromise.
They get to work
Creating the edifices
Of submission and
Control; shameless
Institutions designed
To maintain the
Imbalance of power.
Multi-tentacled monster,
Insatiable appetite for
Culpatory knowledge.
Pursue with great vigor,
Upend life,
Intimidate with threats of
Dire consequences,
Frame as a renegade
Divulger of secrets,
A craven menace.
Nothing stops the
Gurgling heart of
Fear-riddled sickness
Zealously guarding
Improprieties.
