Once-distant sounds
Intensely reverberating,
Return of suspicion,
Hatred, contempt for the
Unfamiliar, lack of
Tolerance and curiosity,
Marching in lockstep to
The exhortations of
Another furious ringleader,
Vicious howls of recognition,
Slide into darkness.
They come out
In droves,
Reasserting their
Flagging supremacy,
Sending a message
That they’re not
Done yet with this
Unearned position
Seized by force.
History will reveal
Who they really are.
He feels left behind,
Like he doesn’t
Matter anymore.
Things used to be
So different,
Opportunity abounded.
He and his buddies
Could always count on
A job at the plant.
Then the companies went away,
Leaving behind
Confusion and anger.
He wants to turn it all
Upside down,
Tear everything apart.
He entrusts
The wrong people
To do it.
Her income stagnant
For so many years,
Cost of everything
Increasing.
Productivity is up,
Gloat the people
At the top,
Their income rising.
All the money
Flowing upward,
Everyone else
Spiralling downward.
On a flight from
Any town to another town
In any part of the nation,
A man falls ill and a
Doctor of a certain color
And gender offers her help
Only to be condescendingly
Rebuffed by a flight attendant
Of a different color who
Believes only certain people
Are doctors.
Looking back over
The history of the world,
It becomes apparent that,
While we could all
Easily live together and
Share resources,
There is always some
Individual or group that
Gains power due to physical size,
Financial strength,
Uncontrollable ambition,
A pathological need to dominate,
And decides it’s a
Great idea to horde
Everything for themselves,
The same creatures
Who brought you every
Monarchy, dictatorship,
Slavery-driven economy,
Separate, unequal society
We’ve ever known
Because they are the
Ones who stop at nothing
To impose their will.
As has been the unfortunate
But not inevitable story since
The dawn of civilization,
A significant portion of
The populace is unable or unwilling
To feel another’s plight,
Help someone other than themselves,
Thus complicating the entire concept of
Building an equitable society,
Where people work together with
The understanding that each of their parts
Contributes to a greater whole
Benefiting everyone rather than
Wildly enriching a few opportunists.
As always, they are driven by a fervent
Belief that government should get out of the way,
Let them do whatever they want,
Leave the victims to fend for themselves,
Sever the social contract,
Throw the common good into the fire,
Allow unrestrained exploitation by the
Most aggressive and powerful in a
Violent coliseum that only exists when
The countervailing voice is silenced.
By the chain link fence
Lays a worn-out mattress
Surrounded by shopping
Carts filled with soiled clothes,
Cardboard, part of a lamp,
Chip bags, a few crushed beer cans,
An artificial tree, a few kids toys,
A broken window frame, parts of an
Abandoned bicycle, a car headlight,
Tattered books, various mismatched shoes,
A TV that hasn’t worked since the ’80s.
Once in a while someone walks by
And rummages through this conglomeration,
Hoping to find something of use
Instead of reminders.
They leave him
Lying there,
No fanfare,
Over the top public
Displays of grief,
Protracted processions,
Overwrought eulogies.
A lifeless piece of meat
Laying in the street,
Less than human,
What they really
Think of him,
Why they kill without
A second’s pause.
