Shattered Spaces

Shattered spaces cast clouds of brightness,
Illumined from behind by the pale moonlight.
Glittering lights hide squalor and suffering,
The dance of affluence and poverty.
Gangs of youth emerge from the projects,
Spray paint cans in hand, with guns and knives, too.
Blood fills the alleyways and train tracks.
Another beating given; shots fired.
Retaliation for displaying wrong colors. Death.
Innocence lost is no longer mourned in a city
Jaded by one more incident. Mothers weep silently
As in the distance the refrain “Peace on Earth” is
Sung by carolers in their designer clothing.
Retailers mourn market share decline while
Families pray for their next meal.
Politicos strategize power alignments while
Marginalized populations suffer
From their self-serving decisions.
Children are kidnapped and made to fight wars
While the U.N. makes the Ape its priority.
Jobs are discarded while politicians promise raised taxes.
Television personalities wage wars of words,
While the ratings climb amid moral deterioration
Precipitated by cultural ambiguity.
Families sequester in their homes,
Numbed by the infusion of media options; secluded from
Each other; each pursuing privatized preferences.
Not talking; barely co-existing.
Shattered spaces.

2 December 2008 by Glen Alan Woods