"Under Construction"

   

An engineering feat
Endless miles of concrete
Tower in expectation
Growth, growth, growth, growth, growth
Tons of debris dumped behind screens of decency
Profit and progress mangled and molded into prophecy
More is only more
Underneath everything rises the desperate stench of fear
Too much, too little, too late to matter
Under night’s protection push onward and upward
Pretending sustainability is wrapped into the core
Change is good
Until it isn’t 

 

Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Pissing Contest"

 

Hard and broken men

Boys encouraged to only win
            even if they cheat
as teens their acid words begin
            wrapped in bold deceit
first wives selected as breeders
            preference for a son
second wives are ego feeders
            to the  Golden One
third wives enhance affluence
            and erase aging fears
not one person can influence
             their lying veneers 
Mamma loves the neediest best
            if he loves her most
her attention is a contest
            won by lying boasts
Daddy hungers for bragging rights
            on their gaudy stuff
he binds his praise to dark, not light
            can there be enough
as adults they hate each other
            and they still compete
to demoralize each brother
            to spoil and defeat
           
 
Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
  

"Umbrella Paradiddle"

 

 

walking in the morning rain
steps confidently secure
not a single fret for pain
morning’s aura warm and pure
thunder threads a distant plane
raindrops offer a soft cure
bold grackles dive into drains
tempted by the water’s lure
paradiddles tap refrains
against my shelter’s contour

Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

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"Be Still"

 

Loss and grief wrap around my spirit
They drag my steps, pull me into silence,
Hone my thoughts down to brittle bits of despair
Loss and grief echo through my dreams
They invade my nights, snap me into vigilance,
Pace with me from room to room
Loss and grief whittle away my heart
They cause my tears, push me into darkness,
Force my days into protective stillness 

 

Copyright 2025 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman