Beyond Repair
I hear quiet truths
Behind complaints.
Sorrow behind voices
Agonizing choices.
I hear imminent reprisal
Stoked by humiliation,
Fostered by insinuation.
I hear silent tears
Burning within.
Mustering angst
Fury, contempt,
Trapping compassion
In folds of indignation.
I hear laughter
Staving off scorn.
I hear fear
Buried in judgment
Competition, castigation.
I hear no resolution
Restitution or absolution.
I hear happiness
frittering on the fringes,
Cleaving to hope,
Waiting for peace.
