They look the other way
When one of their own
Goes after those they fear,
A revolting alliance of
Bigots defending a
Foul state of affairs,
Dismissive of people
Who have genuine grievances,
Eager agents of supremacy,
The putrid face of
Unbridled privilege.
He’s taking a shower,
Just like he has for
Fifty years.
Lather here,
Lather there,
The usual routine except that
For the last few months
He’s noticed that his
Soap bar, the same brand
He’s used since the seventies,
Is smaller and carved into
Some kind of strange
Space-age, high-tech shape.
Tapered in the middle,
Scooped out on top,
He can’t seem to get
More than a few days use
Out if it before it breaks
In half or dissolves.
Angry, he tries other brands
Only to find
They’re all the same,
Not an honest deal to be found
Any longer.
Uncontrolled hubris,
Little guy shafted.
Standing before him,
The height differential
Remarkable,
One clearly above
The other,
As it’s always been.
Intentionally setting
People apart so that
One side has no idea
What the other
Feels, thinks,
Endures.
Smug self-righteousness,
Smoldering revulsion,
An opportunity for mercy
Squandered,
Order preserved,
Nonchalantly caged.
Ubiquitous talking head
Flaps his crooked mouth about
Character and poverty.
Finding yourself poor
Is a personal flaw caused
By the luck of the draw.
Lazy analysis of
Complex issues,
Ignoring obvious data.
Born with no opportunities,
Higher likelihood
You’ll stay there.
A young woman approaches him and
Voices her concerns which,
As usual, mean nothing
To him, after all, she’s
From the other camp.
He condescendingly lectures her
On right and wrong,
His moral code trumping all others,
Invalidating anyone who
Isn’t like him.
He tells her to listen but
Doesn’t extend the same courtesy,
Patriarchal dominance.
Without a hint of understanding,
He kills another dream.
Petulant children
Who lacked something
Or were given everything
Except scruples
Walk the halls
Scheming, machinating
Their next step to
Best someone else,
Destroy an adversary,
Twist a truth,
Pervert decency.
And for what?
Money,
Power,
That unresolved issue
That haunts them at
Night but never goes away
Because they don’t have
The courage to fix it.
Perpetuation of turmoil
By broken juveniles.
The true believers
Writhe ecstatically,
Chanting the free market
Mantra of magical
Companies taking care of
All of society’s ills.
What could be more equitable
Than allowing money-making entities
To run unfettered by pesky rules
That protect people from abuse?
Everything shall be provided,
Invisible hands will appear and
Make all necessary adjustments.
They smile contentedly as they
Watch their two-hundred dollar
A month cable and call their
Friends on two-hundred dollar
A month phones from providers
That don’t have a care in the world,
Least of all competition.
I used to agonize about every
Little thing, no matter how
Minuscule, insignificant,
Unremarkable.
Now I save my energy for
Medium size debacles, which
Seem to visit
With similar frequency.
Perhaps one day
I’ll welcome a new visitor
Who offers me solace,
Long-awaited relief.
Champions of intolerance,
Waving a flag,
Holding a cross,
Extolling the absolute virtues
Of their constricted mindset,
Gather in agitated herds,
Facing outward to defend
Against the barbarians
Who don’t share their
Antiquated, reactionary
Perception of a world
Full of scary things,
Like people who don’t
Worship narrow-mindedness,
Ignorance, hatred.
The world continues to scream
For a generation of human beings
Who believe in love
Rather than hurt.
He hid the secret from his
Parents, a lovely couple who
Never made waves but were
About to find out what chaos
Means when his prized pet
Jumped the fence and attacked
Their closest friend in the
Neighborhood. A perfunctory
Slew of incredulity and denial
Followed the painfully foreseeable,
Preventable act only missed
By those who couldn’t think
Beyond their own yard.