Reposing in fortified edifice
Overlooking tattered hovels,
Broken dreams that never
Took flight.
Counting his earnings
From the sweat of
Indentured
Beings.
Surveying his lands,
Faceless toiling peasantry,
Noble tradition reverberating
In the present.
She never would say why
She dated the men who didn’t
Treat her well. One could surmise
That things hadn’t been at all
Stable.
She never would say why
She dated the other guys, the ones who
Called and behaved irregularly and
Insolently insisted on having their
Freedom.
She never would say why
She did not date the next person.
The one who treated her wonderfully.
One might gather that it wasn’t
For her.
They say it’s
Not about race,
But it is.
They say it’s
Not about bigotry,
But it is.
They say it’s
Not about prejudice,
But it is.
What will happen when he
Achieves total world domination?
Will it quell the
Feelings of insecurity —
Restore to wholeness
Countless victims fallen
Prey to avarice?
It won’t matter in the end —
He’ll vanish in time —
As we all do.
The legacy of destruction
Cries louder than any
Philanthropic pretense,
Eviscerating the world
To seize some
Artificial sense of security.
As the smoke clears,
We discover, as always, that
It didn’t have to be this way.
What a joyful moment when
Some person realizes how
Great she is, opens her wings,
Soars undaunted into the
Realm of possibilities,
Blissful realization.
When asked whether
Her book was in stores
Or had won any awards,
She knew she was not
In the presence of
Discerning supporters
But, rather, conventional
Creatures who only measure value
Based on prestige and status
Instead of understanding
The transcendence of her work.
Abundant wealth,
Copious success,
Bountiful opportunities,
Doors open at all turns.
Takes time out of busy schedule,
Attends local governance meetings,
Rails against
Programs for the less fortunate.
Compassion gene missing.
A series of people
Helped him along the way,
Fancies it was all him.
She said something that was
Deeply meaningful to her, a secret
Kept for too long at too great a cost.
When it was time, she let it out and
Waited. Uncomfortable squirms,
Furrowed brows, relived memories,
Erupted into slashing counterattacks.
Protect the fabricated narrative
At all costs. Lock the truth back in
It’s cell and mention not its name again,
Harden defenses, change the subject.
A lovely quiet neighborhood,
Peaceful homes tidily arranged
Around a park. Birds sing,
Bunnies frolic on the grass,
Children giggle, flowers bloom,
Trees whisper, neighbors smile,
The sunshine warms everything
It touches, cheerful relaxing days.
Kindness has not visited one home
In a long while. A stern, agitated,
Vigilant, halting settler, inner voices
Barely contained. Imposing angry
Noises on the calm as was done in
His childhood homes. He couldn’t
Wait to leave, now he pays homage.
Neighbors warily pretend not to notice.
Let’s keep it
The way it’s always been,
Advantage us – scarcity you,
We get all the stuff,
You get meager scraps.
Let’s sit smugly on our porches,
Exchanging phony, chummy banter,
One-upping each other,
Reliving past glories.
Not a trouble-maker in sight,
They’re across the tracks
Where they belong.
Neatly manicured lawns,
Freshly painted homes,
Spurious smiles pasted on
Stiff wax faces,
Underplayed horror stories.