Realities of Shame

America has patches
On her patches
And when the latches lock
		But the hinges fail
The scale of false images
Has to increase
So distracted attention
Can release reflected
		Dimensions of complexities
And let pride hide
The realities of shame
Behind a constant need
To blame the poor
		For not paying their share
At the core of economics
Where satire draws
The comics too painful
		To laugh at
Though the wrinkles 
Are ironed out
For another chance to dream
And dance
And not notice
		The material 
		Has become too thin
To keep values warm
Or to comfort the principles
It takes to be
Sensible enough 
To weave
		A pattern of hope
That promises and provides
More than despair.

Not Enough Time

There are many paths that lead
To the ancient depth of solitude
Where the weary arrive
To survive their stories told
Without morals to the fables
Sitting at the tables by themselves
Where their gaze glosses over
With too much to remember
And not enough time
To relive it all
Or to retrace the steps
Along the distance of the trail.

While writing Conley Bottom: A Poemoir, The Recon Trilogy +1, Always Ready: Poems for a Life in the US Coast Guard, and (under Anonymous) Say Their Names, Ben White thought he was a poet. But he realised that he is not a poet at all. He is a witness. What he writes is testimony.