'Be anxious for nothing..." ~Philippians 4:6

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

POETRY PROMPT: STATE OF AFFAIRS

Neither your tears nor your weariness mean a thing
Even as the morning breaks
The fitful noise that they make—
Not alarm,  nor emergency
But an arrogant demand
That you should have no need 
Of rest, self-care, or sleep

Not a kind word do they speak
Every statement is curt, and cold
Every day, they sit and brood, and hope to find some flaw
Some some reason to accuse; 
To diminish what you do
While you work at keeping their affairs in line

There is no empathy or gratitude
They think their name, alone, should motivate you
To answer every fitful beck and call
Even when there’s no urgency
They want to see how fast you run
Each day a test
Each day, your back is against a wall

Their complaints and criticisms
Leave your character in tatters
Tales one-sided; with no bearing on the truth
Their aim is to gain sympathy
They so long for the company
Of those who have more pressing things to do

They expect you to simply be
But don’t dare appear to live, or thrive
How do they all forget the ills that brought you there?
Your perceived comfort makes them rage, and so
They're desperate to find fault
And make sure harmony's not present anywhere

But, of all those who do impede
Who try to make your gift a chore
Of all those who'd bring chaos and discord to bear
The last one you’d expect to break your spirit;
Or bring you grief
Is the one whose plight demanded you be there

What you don't do is forget
You have concerns; affairs
Things that are yours that need tending
As much as you tend theirs
Never lose sight of the state of your own
As you restore what is not yours
Note what in your life needs mending

VRW ©2017

No comments:

Post a Comment