Build a tidy family,
Secrets and appearances,
Oaths and promises.
Don’t tell what happened,
Never betray this to
Anyone, anywhere, anytime.
A nest lined with falsity,
Hidden from street view
Behind impenetrable
Curtain of scrubbed cheeriness,
Exemplary, faithful, guiltless,
Eternal fear, pressure.
A sublime, magnificent chronicle of
Inexorable change. Transcendent
Flourishing contraposed with
Dispassionate destruction,
Prolonged repose, implausible rebirth.
Still visible evidence of
Primordial epochs, vast eras
Recorded for posterity to examine.
All for nought for many of
Absolute surety, forbidden to
Acknowledge that it just is,
As it always has been, will be.
Let us enjoy it while we can,
An impossibly grand gift of
Improbability and chance.
Everything is soft,
Kind, supportive, creative,
Encouraging, empathic
In this place,
No harsh words or
Injurious reprimands,
Judgments meted out with
No regard for easily
Bruised psyches.
It is here we dare
To be ourselves.
When all the
Money in the country
Goes to a very small
Group at the very top,
That leaves very little
To no resources for
Anyone else, because,
You know, just a few
People have all the
Money, sort of like in
The old game where
Someone would buy all
The properties and
Watch everyone pay rent
And slowly crumble,
Though none of this
Means much to Emily,
Playing on a filthy
Motel balcony.
Amongst the chaos and
Tumult, a refreshing
Ideology rears its head
Promising prosperity
For people of many
Persuasions, a shiny
Alternative, not the
Tired old stuff,
Assuring everyone that
Things will be okay and
Taken care of, unlike the
Mess the other guys have
Made, and insisting that
All the populace has to do
Is believe and unconditionally
Submit to the benevolent
Power of the free market.
He waited many minutes before
Clicking the send button.
She was both surprised and elated
When the message arrived.
They met in a small restaurant,
So many memories.
They bid each other a fond
Goodnight.
The slightest shift in tenor
Presages the impending
Barrage of vitriol and virulence
Spewed upon all in the vicinity.
Unblinking, staring at their
Immaculate shoes, the guests pretend
Nothing out of the ordinary
Is happening, not here.
Carefully selected finery,
Arranged extravagant display,
A mesmerizing feast for
Some other time and place.
Starve the public schools
By refusing to
Pay taxes.
Declare that teachers
And schools are
Broken.
Under the guise
Of school choice,
Dismantle the system.
Pass bills so public money
Can be spent on private,
Religious, or home education.
Help private corporations
Get their slice of
The pie.
Only support education
That furthers your
Political goals.
Issue proclamations
About how you’re
Improving education.
Entrenched below
Consciousness, attitudes
Developed through rote
Reinforcement, leaving
No room for anything but
Dogma, a narrow window
No light penetrates,
A joyless trudge
Through life.
