Today depression visited
a quiet despair one feels
from grave injustice

Driving home
the world fell silent
On one street corner
stood a man of color
in ***** work pants
He frowned behind a gray beard
his eyes distant

He and I shared a truth
that while the poor wept
those who represent hatred
celebrated
again

When it rains
whiskey thoughts
wander in lust
Memories surface
of love and hate
That steady patter
contrasts
the chaos
we live

Wake at 6:30
Drive to work
Rain
Traffic
Trump stickers
Hit a pothole
Spill coffee
Arrive late
**** on your fly
Life

I only love you
at night
when loneliness
fuels desire
and
desperation
replaces
rational thought

Your value is reflected
in an empty whiskey bottle
sideways
on the stained carpet

Funny how everything
is eventually
neglected

There's something peculiar
about witnessing courage
in the face of hatred
True righteousness hits me deep
It flourishes from within
the way epiphanies bloom in scholars
or the way love overwhelms
young students

There's majesty in the underdog
who stands until his knees buckle
who shouts until her voice breaks
fueled only by fortitude
mocked for feeling empathy
hated for living truth

In moments of moral principle
I see peace amidst the chaos
poetry amidst the prose
in the eyes of the young
and in the old
who fight
for justice

When in doubt
spit on the sidewalk
and stare the ******* down
This procedure works
on violent men
It also works
on your own
madness

On late spring nights
a breeze through cracked windows
feeds silent madness
It screams louder than life
Memories flow as a river
Their resentment for my existence
once brought depression
After years of absorbing rancor
the onslaught of sandpaper words
ground my soul into flakes
carried away in the wind

Hollowed into a human cask
guilt has nothing to grasp
Hatred from others means little
Perhaps amusement
A muffled chuckle
breathed into the pillow
breaks the silence
until sleep