poems about the human condition

So Much Horror

She had a hard time understanding
Where his cruelty came from,
Until she met his family:
An ominous group of harsh
Belittlers who extolled the
Virtues of survival of the fittest,
Mercilessly putting each other down
To prove who was king,
Roughhousing and competition
Behavioral staples – requirements,
Women shown their place in the kitchen,
Encouraged to keep quiet
About important stuff,
Attitudes formed through
Severe indoctrination –
Ubiquitous punishment.
Sure, there was some perfunctory
Level of compassion for people
They knew personally, offset by
A scorching empathy desert
For anyone they considered other,
Which meant pretty much everyone,
Especially foreigners,
Freeloaders and softies.
That’s why she bid him goodbye,
A person of her nature could
Only take so much horror.

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Sightlessness

He didn’t amass his
Fortune alone, although
He’ll tell you he did,
The sightlessness of
Privilege being what it is,
All he really did was
Be born a certain hue to
A family with the means
To support his endeavors,
A society that was set
Up to favor people like him,
Laws that protected and
Favored his interests while
Keeping down the competition
He claims he loves.

Common Knowledge

It’s cited as common knowledge
That both sides are the same,
But that’s not actually
True upon even the most
Cursory examination:
One group leaves a trail of
Suffering and devastation for
Everyone but the rich,
The other strives to help the
Most vulnerable, except
When members of their ranks
Emulate their foes.
One of the sides
Works hard to make sure
Nobody knows the truth,
Clearly benefiting from
Misinformation, propaganda,
The opposition’s fecklessness.
Cruelty versus cowardice,
A lethal state of affairs
For the little guy.

Receptive Listeners

She tells a group of
Receptive listeners
That the poor are that way
Because they are lazy
And subhuman, though she
Doesn’t quite word it
That way, it would
Far too clearly
Reveal her prejudice and
Shocking lack of empathy.

Forever Fail

I will forever fail to see
Why it’s a good idea for a
Civilized society to
Starve children,
Teach them some kind of
Exceedingly cruel and
Unnecessary lesson about
So-called personal responsibility
When their plight is
No fault of their own and
The deck is already so stacked
Against them that they
Realistically have very
Little chance of making it,
Even with superhuman initiative,
No matter what the louses
Condemning them to poverty say.

As Quickly as Possible

I remember as a child
Wondering why some people
Seemed scarier than others:
Hard, troubled, unfriendly,
Staring through me with
Cold expressions, barely
Able to say hello without
A scowl, making me want to
Get away from them as
Quickly as possible lest
Something disturbing happen;
As an adult, I still see them.

Keep Going

You will encounter
Many obstacles on
Your journey toward
Living the life you want.
Keep going,
No matter what,
You’re worth it.
The world awaits
Your wonderful gifts.

Why We Hurt Each Other

He has no interest in
Why we hurt each other
Because that would mean
Having to relive the
Terrifying memories that
Take up so much space
Inside him and never
Permit a moment’s peace.
He’s chosen instead to
Project his pain onto
Others, to make them the
Object of his fear and
Brokenness, subdue them
So he might feel a moment’s
Respite from the turmoil,
Instead of getting help and
Learning how to love again.

In-Between

The stores that
Used to be frequented
By the middle class
Are dying at the
Same time malls close
For lack of visitors.
The luxury emporiums
Thrive as do the
Discount retailers,
Little in-between.