Sitting around
A lavishly decorated,
Candlelit table after enjoying
A decadently sumptuous meal,
The exquisitely rare
Dessert wine is announced
To collective glee,
The lord of the manor is
Overheard intimating that they
Must have done something right,
The servants refill the
Glasses without a word.
The seething indignation
He feels in his chest
When someone is cast
Aside by some heartless
Bully who can’t even
Care enough for himself
To feel anything for others.
People condescendingly remind him
That this is the way things are,
Cavalierly ignoring the innumerable
Examples to the contrary,
Where people of conscience
Rise above self-interest and
Care for each other.
The smallest opportunity
To lord over someone
Sends him into paroxysms
Of bliss, his true nature
Rears its grotesque head
With surprising facility.
Churning, just below the
Surface, a latent reservoir
Of domineering autocracy,
Impatient to impose its
Unrestrained dysfunction on
The next sorry victim.
Sharing a quiet moment
With his family in a
Warm living room,
He reminisces wistfully
About the idyllic days of
His youth when everything
Was better and the
Complexities of the
World were non-existent.
His friends and he would
Play stick ball for hours
Until their moms called them
In for supper, carefree days
Spent enjoying the fresh air,
Roaming freely,
Incognizant of what was
Really happening just
A couple miles away.
He will always
Tell you exactly
What he thinks,
Regardless of whether
It is of any interest
To anyone but him,
Or destroys you at
Your very core;
He’ll just say it and
Go about his business
As if nothing happened.
After all these years
My heart still races
When I see you somewhere.
A shared smile,
A silly joke.
You and me.
Today
They find out
That their labor
Is no longer in
Demand.
Yesterday they were
Assured that everything
Would be OK and that
They had nothing to
Worry about.
Tomorrow will be
Another day of
Wondering what
Their next
Step is.
Perplexing divergence,
One person sees
Opportunities to help,
Another relishes
Occasions to punish.
Disparate perspectives –
Vastly different outcomes,
Community or aristocracy,
Consequences radiating from
Personal preference.
Constant tension between
Dissimilar perspectives,
The pendulum swings
Too far in one direction,
People suffer needlessly.
He was larger
And more powerful
Than her so,
Instead of celebrating
Her abilities and
Encouraging her to thrive
Using her own strengths,
He decided it would
Be a great idea to
Use his physical advantage
To keep her in bondage;
A permanent cage
Built on fear
Where she was
At his mercy and whim;
A servant to this
Pathetic need to dominate.
They take advantage
Of any crisis,
Or simply manufacture
One, to keep the
Populace in a
Constant state of
Heightened anxiety.
Self-appointed saviors
Vowing to keep
Everyone safe
While they pick
Pockets, discourage
Critical thinking,
Hobble society.