Own World Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Come here,
Quick!
We're hoping you can help us,
Make some sense of this.

We are diehard conformists.
To that we admit.
And those we chose to ridicule...
Had been the ones we selected,
As 'do-nothing' mavericks.
Shouldn't we have been the ones,
To have prospered?
To benefit from our loyalty.
The ones to make the gains...
With lifestyles to benefit?

In fact...
They had been those we ostracized.
And we made sure of it!
Now they appear to have profited...
From anti-social behavior,
That declared them lunatics.

Come here,
Quick!
Do you have an explanation,
For any of this?

'Well,
As an observer...
I can only offer this quip.
It seems those who chose to live free,
Of restrictions...
Are happier they did and did not quit.
Regardless of who thought what of them.
Or who passed judgement on their 'craziness'!

They do not seem to be complaining at all,
About an economic crisis...
That has marched the rest of you,
To the edge of an abyss.

And here you are filled with anger.
The ones gritting your teeth.
And spitting expletives.

You stand in a group...
Shouting in fits.
Cursing others loudly.
And with clenched fists!

Shouldn't that be the actions of those you claim...
To have been the ones isolated and brought to shame?
Didn't you say,
You all had gone out of your way...
To smear their reputations and ruin their names? '

Yeah,
But...

'I thank God I do not live in this neighborhood! '

Where do you live?

'I've been told I live in my own world years ago.
And I am so glad I decided to make it comfortable.

Thank you for asking for my opinion.
I thought I had been totally ignored.

You don't mind if I leave,
And take my peace of mind with me?
I've had it for so long...
Your question caught me off guard! '