Unwanted from the beginning,
Life commencing inauspiciously,
Another number, afterthought,
Second-class citizen.
Relegated to menial status,
Societal constructs,
Hierarchies arbitrarily imposed,
Entrenched oppression.
Prearranged,
Chattel to be
Traded to the
Highest bidder.
In it for what
He can get,
Complicit with
Pocket-lining buddies.
Emotionless
Polished carcass.
Who cares about
The little guy,
Let him fend for himself,
Delusions of
Individualism
Dancing in his head.
They’re furious because of
Being called out for
Reprehensible conduct,
Something they’ve always
Gotten away with,
Never had to think about,
Rudely pushing
Their weight around,
With no repercussions,
Boorish louts behaving
Disrespectfully and
Never paying for it,
Now upset that
Things are changing.
Send me to a school where
Mold grows and minds don’t because
There aren’t enough teachers to
Handle teeming classes of souls
Who yearn to grow but are constantly
Written off as incorrigible,
Unworthy statistics.
Move the school out of my neighborhood
When its heat doesn’t work and
Textbooks harken back to the days of
New wave, old wave limiting the chances
I’ll ever get out. Tell me I can’t learn because
I’m broken, not broke. Tell my mother
Her three jobs aren’t enough to keep
Me learning.
Interviewed on
Local news show.
Well-groomed,
Comfortable in
Traditional suit
And haircut,
Mechanically spouting
Fallacious assertions.
Limited government,
No new taxes,
Welfare queens,
Weak tropes expounded
As gospel.
Flood of unfounded
Beliefs further tearing at
Flimsy safety net.
Lies confidently articulated,
Straight face,
Manifest mendacity.
Deemed expendable,
Working ten-hour days,
Six days a week,
Sweltering room,
No ventilation,
Making something he’ll
Never be able to afford,
For someone far away
Who will never know
His name,
His dreams,
His hopes,
The toll this all takes
On his body.
A small human being,
Worth less than
A pair of shoes.
Enjoy the trappings of status,
Dominance, power. Have
Fun telling people what to do and watch
Them scamper, beck and call,
Unquestioned.
Surreptitiously informed that an underling
Deviated from what she ordered.
Insulted by the callous disregard
For her needs, indignation burning in her head
New plans carefully drawn up,
Keep the status quo.
Wake up much too early
Each day, get everyone up,
Make bag lunches,
Kids ready themselves for
Another public school day.
Coffee, bagel, shower,
Drive off to a place
She’d rather not be,
If she had a choice.
Smiles at everyone,
Cheeriness born of necessity,
Paycheck in hand
Every two weeks,
Choices to be made,
Shrinking pay requiring stretching,
Making do with less,
Another day on the treadmill.
Exhausted,
Arrive at home, prepare dinner,
Help kids with homework.
Alarm clock rings again.
In a serene wood-paneled office,
He moves toward a large window,
Blankly looks at the
Scurrying ants.
He hated her so much,
Probably because she could
See right through him,
To that place where
He was exposed and vulnerable,
Unable to get by on mediocrity or
Pretend his way out,
Where transcendence matters,
And stars shine far brighter
Than he ever would.
