What They Do
A poetic rant
They tell us to watch with whom
we are building — who has
our best interests at heart.
Make eye contact with them,
listen to their words; are they
lifting you up or tearing you down?
What’s their tone, they say.
How are they leaning into or
away from you?
Do they display actual interest
in what you are saying?
They will not coddle or hug
you — will not say they love you —
cannot bail you out of a
bind, but will advise you
to count the money wisely
from where it comes.
Can the person be trusted?
How long have you known them?
Will they look for repayment later?
They sit on the highest
pedestals of life — have the
most privilege — work fifteen
hours a week.
They know all.
They can influence all.
And here we are, giving them
our undivided attention
because a gleam in their eye,
a popping lip gloss on their
lips lured us, or their booming
voice sounded off in our ears,
and we’ve become blind to
what we feel.
The desire to be okay is
a mass moneymaking
catcall and we want it so
badly — we want to be okay
more than we recognize
They are probably making
us a lot worse.
©2022 Tremaine L. Loadholt
