warmth locked, then erased

like it had never been there.

eyes met at one time, a soft glance

then a quick turnaround

like fishes nibbing at tails,

then darting forth to rocks and corals

when a shadow looms,

a dolphin, a shark,

man’s cold calculation,

money does not buy heat, feels like warmth

that touches not this heart beating.

please help, a cry, a want, like a baby

asking for more milk: the elders frown, walk on

boomers hold on to their cherished ideals

that hard work pays off, how else could the world evolve?

then the splitting cry again, of a man or animal

lamenting, shrilling, the hyenas come as a pack

joining in the snarls, rabid like to echo

what too is happening when their land is taken away.

ouch, said the girl still learning, sounds tough

and grows up too walking sternly on narrow roads,

with a waves crashing within, of how it could be different

another perspective, another thought

then they subside when the sky begins go descend,

again.

the boy took his first kill, then became a stalker

of corporate wealth, building cash behind a vault

when the robbers try to break down … … blood,

his life’s work, the emergency brakes, the eagles

sweep in, eager for a job.

blank stares, mimic gestures, pretense

as rats chase cats, big is better,

prey becomes predator, and still the quiet choir

sings on: the faces resemble love

then the night descends, and all the yowling begins again.

neighbors lock their doors with triple locks,

mask become more well rehearsed, till the skin burns

into flesh, flesh withers and the animals of yesterday

become kings and queens of today,

all the while they carry roses and strange symbols,

muttering to each other, this is love.