AGAINST BENEVOLENCE

When the weather 

is calm, theirs are 

shoulders to lean on,

but pursuant 

to disaster, it's 

the noble 

who are trouble. 

In meltdown, 

in plague, war, 

death, 

or pandemic, it's like

everything 

they excel at—

all the sitting still 

and giving love

while receiving 

wisdom with grace 

from above; 

all the sending prayers

and preaching hope, 

while turning cheeks 

without a smirk—

is now far worse
than haphazard  

or useless. 

To the ones who wake up 

in afflicted  

scenarios, 

conviction

is an empty, if deadly 
placebo; 

the only real cure is 

doing the work.