An intransigent cabal
That will not budge
No matter how many people
Live without dignity,
Starve in plain sight,
Wander the streets.
Inconceivably broad swaths
Of society condemned to
Lives of suffering and toil,
Lack of opportunities,
Just to avoid
Upsetting the wealthy.
A moment suspended,
She stares across the
Crowded room and begins a
Reassessment of everything
That has led to this moment:
Soaring triumphs,
Searing failures,
The story of what has
Come before and what it
Might mean for her future,
The realization that she
Wasn’t always awake
When it all happened.
It was a remark
That made everyone
Pause for a moment and
Perform a reluctant
Self-inventory before
Deciding what to do next.
No one spoke up,
This being a civilized
Place inhabited by
Fearful creatures who
Give wide berth to
The loudest voice and
Keep their objections,
If they had any,
To themselves, allowing
The blowhard to spread
His disease everywhere.
Though these could be
Moments of reflection,
They instead become
Frantic lurches from
One place to another
Desperately trying to
Make the discomfort
Go away and replace it
With who knows what,
Because nobody really
Acknowledges anything
Or is willing talk about
What’s really going on
And why it’s happening.
Modest house on
Tree-lined street,
Unassuming hodgepodge,
Practical apartments,
Utilitarian dwellings,
Tidy to a point.
Bike ride up arduous hills,
Humid air invigorating
Youthful lungs,
Blue sky contentment.
Knock on door,
Heartily welcomed.
The harrowing
Uncertainty begins,
More of a screaming,
Piercing pain that won’t
Go away no matter how
Many aspirins one takes.
Trying to ignore it,
Hoping it will go away,
Pretending it’s not going to happen
When it inevitably will,
A return to different times,
Shocking dissimilarity.
Unreachable minds,
Roiling with contempt and
Inordinate callousness.
They will never
Dig deep enough
To tell us why.
The two pass on the
Street in front of a
Bank, neither sees the
Other, one on her way
To an assembly line
Job, the other entering
The building and walking
Into a well-appointed
Office with a plaque on
The door indicating his
Special title, his
Exceptional position in
Society because of all
The money he lords over and
Others don’t. He chuckles
With a colleague about
Haves and have nots,
Winners and losers,
Survival of the fittest,
Ruling class diversions.
I know when I talk with you that
You’re thinking of the next thing you
Want to say or how my words may be
Used to gain some advantage or
Make you look good in some way,
Perhaps subtly put me in my place,
All else is bothersome, undesirable.
A wilted, one-sided relationship where
One person’s self is stolen by
An unquenchable, uncaring void.
Letting go once again,
Such a routine ordeal,
Bidding goodbye to so many
People and places dear.
It might get easier,
Though it really doesn’t,
He just pretends to
Get used to it,
Pieces of his self
Left behind.
Not sure what to do,
Knowing that it could
Be a catalyst for all
Manner of suffering but
Also morbidly curious.
As usual, an inner struggle
Ensues between giving the
Benefit of the doubt,
Believing in redemption, or
Realizing that some things are
Truly better left unexamined.
Even the best intentions often
Do not turn out well
Because they never have before
And nothing has transpired
To make this time any different.