After a brief
Interaction online,
She presumes
He likes her
And sends a message
To that effect,
Something she does regularly,
Convinced she is
The object of
Everyone’s desire,
Aphrodite incarnate,
Gift to all who seek beauty,
A bloated sense of self
Masking her frailty.
Wait until every opportunity is
Exhausted, expecting
Something new to happen to
Someone like you who understands
Everything and nothing at all.
Breathe the scant breath of
The persecuted, unleft alone by
Your tormentors whom you see at
Every turn and in every store
Window leering back at you,
Proud of your bewilderment.
A creeping foreboding insinuating
Itself into an otherwise cloudless day.
A serene outdoor picnic where the only
Visitor is a breeze and a mountain lion.
Take a moment to resolve whether
You’ll sit still or run, then decide to
Flee and find that your legs are like
Noodles in a delicious Asian soup
You enjoyed one time in a small
Place in a distant destination.
An intimate lunch in a hidden corner of a
Bustling city. Gazing into each other’s eyes
Moments before the check came and
Overburdened your credit card causing
Waves of shame, a loss of face.
Of course we didn’t talk about it.
We never do, never have, never will,
Never mind.
A giant question mark that keeps
You from running, jumping, dreaming
Out loud.
Open your precious gilded box,
The one with all the secrets in it,
Carefully arranged, excommunicated.
Look around furtively, someone might
See who you are when you’re not
Ready for visitors.
No matter what happens or
How weird things get.
You’re always there.
An oasis of solace and comfort
In roiling seas.
A refuge from
The heartless vicissitudes that
Challenge my mettle.
You’ll always be with me,
My beloved waffle iron.
Suburban cul-de-sac
Festooned with oversized toys,
An obscene adult sandbox
Flaunted by unrepentant consumers.
Overstuffed couch from the
Regional chain supports
Contented chip-shoveling girth.
Screaming offspring omnipresent,
Not a moment’s rest for the
Weary amidst family pandemonium.
Overfed, welcomes overstayed,
Another meat chunk on the grill
Complementing the seven in the belly.
Bawdy, obvious observations issue from
Large, reckless mouths, unpolished,
Unconcerned. A mortgage the
Admission to complete disregard for
Human life and civilization.
When they feel
Empty inside
They urgently try to
Fill the hole,
Satisfy the cravings,
Find meaning anywhere,
Still the noise,
Buttress inner atrophy.
An unforgiving parasite
Sucking the hope out of
All who approach.
Hidden deep inside,
Plainly manifest.
At some point
His eyes glaze over
And any emotions
He once had inside
Become a vague,
Unspecified numbness.
The ensuing atrophy of
Empathy, joy, love,
Inexorably congeals
Into a lifeless,
Paralyzed mass of
Stark insensitivity.
He plods through the
Remainder of his life,
Smearing his disease
On others, leaving
Behind a legacy of
Unhealed wounds.
At the agreed upon time,
The group meets,
A ritual repeated
Over centuries,
Solemn reverie,
August observance.
Barely acknowledging
Each other, a smattering of
Small talk bows to
The more important
Business at hand.
Intense concentration,
Frustration builds as
Unmitigated determination to
Conquer becomes and
Exercise in manifest reality.
Words acquire barbs,
Vying for position,
A flaccid display of
Misplaced bravado and
Unregulated juvenility.
