Arrive
Mile after mile of
Abject gloom,
Not a glimpse of
Sunshine.
They keep walking,
Knowing they will
One day arrive.
Life Lived
An unwelcome presence insinuated itself
Into an otherwise happy life, sat
Down without asking, made itself
Comfortable though uninvited.
It demanded constant attention and
Care, devoured focus and energy,
Diverted thoughts and disarranged
Routine without caring a whit.
In a moment of inspiration, eyes closed,
Imagination expunged it from the picture,
Life lived without glancing in its
Direction as it showed itself out.
As If Nothing
Unwittingly,
Irrevocably
Steeped in a
Culture that rewards
Superficial displays of
Bluster masking
Crippling insecurity.
A child flexing his muscle,
Immersed in the language and
Lifestyle of violence,
As if nothing;
Perpetuating misery,
Dysfunction.
Unremarkable
Normal, average,
Middling, standard,
Tolerable, humdrum,
Garden variety mediocrity.
Common tyrants
Trampling promise.
Dime a dozen
Sullen orthodoxy
Hit me with your
Unexceptional best,
Banal executioners,
Unremarkable.
Tone
It is the tone of the letter
That is initially off-putting.
Reading on,
Nothing changes.
It’s the same thing
As always…
Words intended
To hurt,
From someone already
In that state.
Reliving
They robbed him of
His trust, took away
His safety, denied
Him kindness, replaced
It all with harsh words
And threats of pain.
He likes to pretend
That everything’s okay
But he thinks and behaves
In ways that mirror
What he went through,
Perpetuating the cycle.
It’s not that he
Wants to be this way,
It’s that he believes he has
No other choice,
To interrupt it would mean
Reliving the horror.
Losing It All
He wasn’t always this way,
There was a time when he
Woke up with dreams of
Peace and love,
Vast horizons beckoning,
The joy of discovery,
Hope for a better world.
When the first windfall
Came his way, he pushed
Everything else aside,
The optimism, delight,
Crushed by the weight of
The fear of losing it all.
Pigeon
I’m walking down the street
And I see a pigeon, the
Same one that hangs out
Around here all the time.
I say hello and we start
Having the best conversation
Ever, about anything
And everything.
I like talking with him,
He’s the only one who
Actually listens to me.
Dystopia
It’s not so much
That it can’t happen
But rather that it
Is happening one
Small increment
At a time.
A right taken away
Here and there,
Presented as
Personal freedom,
Establishing servitude
And fealty.
The state as father,
Dictatorial minds
Subduing the masses,
A grim authoritarian
Dystopia regretted
After the fact.
Petulant
Imperious bluster,
Compulsion to dominate
Absolutely,
In all situations,
Under all conditions,
Unquestioned,
Unchallenged,
Under strict penalty.
All who dare trespass
Sanctified laws suffer
Disproportionate,
Unreasonable,
Consequences.
Guard the child residing
In the tower,
Unnurtured, unloved,
Petulant.