poems about society

His Mind

Somewhere in the
Recesses of his mind,
The tight feeling
In the stomach,
Two days since the
Last shared
Convenience store burrito.
Unwashed clothes
Discarded by others.
Sudden moves in the
Middle of the night,
Another motel,
New set of strange faces.
The shouting, chaos,
Lack of privacy, peace.
Missing school again.
Memories too painful
Engender a caustic
Loathing toward
Those suffering a
Similar plight
Just a couple of
Miles away,
Lest he return.
He looks out
Over the grounds,
Turns and
Shuts the door.

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Unregulated

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.

From All Corners

From all corners
Of the globe,
The stench of
Inhumanity emerges,
Wearing different clothes,
Speaking different tongues,
Yet always soiled with
Hatred, intolerance, fear,
External and internal violence
Perpetrated heartlessly,
Offering nothing but
Agony, hopelessness, cruelty.

They Closed the Supermarket

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.

Unprepared

Unforgiving,
Unbendable inflexibility,
Aggressive, hardened stance.

Lack of nurture,
Scarcity of empathy,
Shrinking kindness,

Clenched fist of authority,
Enforcing rules,
Unprepared.

Scarcity

Scarcity spreads its
Bony fingers across
The landscape, an
Ominous shadow obliterating
Kindness and hope.
People huddle in fear,
Staring at the cracks
Developing in the dam.
Even in the most opulent
Board rooms people talk
Worriedly about the
Coming deluge and continue
Stuffing the vaults with
Stolen gold, expecting
They’ll survive the
Cataclysm they created.

Animate

Sitting in his favorite chair,
He motions to his wife to
Fetch him another beer and
Stares blankly into the
Television where a smug
Talking head reinforces all
His worst impulses and
Lends credence to the appalling
Thoughts clogging his every
Waking moment, physically
Animate, emotionally dead.

New Reality

In a ramshackle trailer park,
A family of five inhabits
An ancient Airstream
On a cold, rainy day,
Wearing winter coats indoors
To keep barely warm, a tiny
Space heater rattles hopelessly.

Rent is due in a couple
Of days and Mark is out
Looking for any kind of
Employment, Susan has to
Stay home with the kids,
Child care costing more than
Any minimum wage job affords.

The holidays are near and
There’s no money for gifts,
Or anything to eat,
A trip to the local food pantry
An embarrassing new reality,
They reminisce about their vacation
Last year before the layoffs.

Flourish

It doesn’t have to
Be this way,
Predators tearing
Apart the less fortunate.

There are many other
Options that don’t require
Winners and the
Inevitable losers.

The naysayers have proven
What kind of world we
Create when we base it on
Hurt and avarice.

Inner wholeness and
Love for each other
Yields far better results,
If we allow them to flourish.