Return to the Cage

*****

Cream does not rise to the top
No, it does not

Mediocrity
Rises to the top

Ass kissing rises
Connection making rises
Self interest rises
Self editing rises

Petty power hegemonies
Calculated belittlement
Careful omission
Faint Praise
Falsehood
These rise

Excellence
Goes
Hungry and lonely among us

We shake our heads
And sigh

Such a poignant story
Makes our own more bearable

Never do we All
Point to All of us and say

This
Is
Unacceptable

What
Will
We do about it?

Do?

Why, finish shaking
Our heads of course
Maybe blot a little tear

And return
To the cage

*****
The poet/editor of this website is physically disabled, and lives at a fraction of her nation’s poverty level. Contributions may be made at:
https://www.gofundme.com/are-you-a-patron-of-the-arts