Banished indefinitely,
Sanctioned suffering.
Bloodthirsty do-gooders
Protecting suspect reputations,
Unhinged egos.
Overzealous pursuit,
Blind lust for retribution,
Information manipulation,
Malfeasance rewarded.
Blackout curtains obscuring
Glaring innocence.
Sleazy scam victimizing
The powerless,
Normalized vengeance.
Fetid stream of
Derogatory remarks,
One foul mouth
Maligning many.
Sullied brain,
Inculcated intolerance,
Grafted onto psyche,
Unbreakable permanent bond.
Legions sympathetic,
Howling viscerally,
Defending the untenable,
Scant of reason.
A rabble roused,
Self-perpetuating,
Clamoring for more
Gratuitous carnage.
Show me how much I matter.
Limit my ability to keep the
Lights on in my home, pay the
Rent. Encourage me to work long
Hours and celebrate holidays on the job.
Tick tock, doesn’t matter when
You’re on the clock. Keep my
Hours below the magic line.
I’m disorganized, overwhelmed, docile.
Tell me that I’m on my own when I fall ill,
Talk up the local public clinic. My new
Stamp collection will keep me and
My children floating in cheese and milk.
Cursed freeloaders impeding the
Extra wing of the seventh mansion,
Four-hundredth shoe. Vacation time forfeited,
You never know who’s in the wings ready to
Take your place.
I hear Saint-Tropez is beautiful this time of year.
Row after row of
Rattling machines,
She sits alone
Surrounded by many
Others just like her,
No talking permitted,
Mind-numbing repetition
Wearing down her
Brain – hands – dignity,
Cacophonous clattering
Claiming her hearing.
Day in, day out,
Dawn to dusk,
Under constant scrutiny,
Quality control,
Not quality of life.
A continent away,
A woman in an upscale store
Chatters happily
About her purchase.
Of all the things
He could be doing,
He chooses the one
That hurts people.
Unfeeling,
Driven only by an
Unconscious need
For supremacy.
No joy around here,
Only hardness and pain,
Violence and horror,
Absence of light.
Fealty to shareholders.
Soap bar downsized —
Toilet paper smaller —
Every product and
Container carefully
Engineered to extract
Maximum profit from
Struggling saps.
Food escalating,
Power bills astronomical,
Wireless service exorbitant,
Internet prohibitive,
Gasoline extreme.
Extortion at every turn,
Consumers at the mercy of
Soulless marketers,
Profit-churning monsters.
Don’t agree with the rules?
Tough.
Don’t like the hours?
Deal with it.
Low pay?
Nobody’s telling you to stay.
No time off?
Work waits for no one.
No benefits?
That’s not our problem.
No bargaining rights?
There’s plenty of people
Who would be happy
To have your job.
Any questions?
Don’t do this, don’t do that.
Don’t you listen? Do it like this.
How many times do I have to
Repeat myself? I’m getting tired of
Always having to show you
How to do this. Don’t you
Get it? Don’t you have any
Common sense?
There’s a right way to do things.
I know what’s right for you.
I am the law. I’m doing it because
I love you. I know the way.
I’m just trying to help you avoid the
Mistakes I made. Do as I say, not
As I do. I’m the one in control here.
Groomed in a
Culture of
Fervent belief,
Indoctrinated
By fist,
Attaches self
To grimly severe concepts,
Slaking a
Lack of inner power.
Disjointed inside,
Inability to empathize,
Struggle to survive
Primordial,
No other being
Matters.
