dander lies a soft
blanket of allergens
shed from our skins
as we rub pumice
against each other’s
heads and feet
rosy sores, tender
shine our own pains
and theirs
as twittering derides
humiliating carelessness
leading blindly through
crowding juggernauts
I have screamed
at a silent screen of woes
I have winced, groaned
scratched at my impotence
I have flooded saltwater
into an abject marketplace
now we stamp
torn ligaments
grazed bare feet
onto hot coals
of rent discourse
wallow in enveloping torture
listening for a heartbeat
hearing only avarice
Al Barz 