Hard In the Stumble
by Michael Doyle

It seems we are all morally inarticulate.
It was nothing that I thought to anticipate.
I'm holding on to constellations that won't speak,
No matter how much stardust begins to leak.

American depression has become today's obsession.
Drugs, alcohol, and suicide claim souls in succession.
In our age of conspiracy, trauma drives polarization
Into the numbing down of minds across our nation.

Finding myself starting to grumble,
I caught myself hard in the stumble.
Moving on like a modern Marlon Brandon,
I found myself sketchy like Picasso.

Circling back on all of my hesitations, 
It was a moment filled with frustration.
How is it that it's not a movie scene?
I look around, and everyone's gotten too mean.

The social media grind constantly serves to remind
How far it is that we have gotten ourselves behind.
No one can afford to have an economy, 
And even if they did, it wouldn't suit the sociology.

Maybe we shouldn't give our selfishness free rein.
It could be that doing so is where we are most insane.
A selfie-world doesn't lend itself to consideration
Of all the others that make up our American nation.

Finding myself starting to grumble,
I caught myself hard in the stumble.
Moving on like a modern Marlon Brandon,
I found myself sketchy like Picasso.

Circling back on all of my hesitations, 
It was a moment filled with frustration.
How is it that it's not a movie scene?
I look around, and everyone's gotten too mean.

I don't know what I'm scratching for in advice,
Is it just the hope that we can become more nice?
Let's become the sort of people who show up for one another.
Let's remember we are sisters and brothers.

The morals of mankind are something of grave consequence.
Perhaps this is why it's more than sheer coincidence
Our founders focused on character in our society
And that we have forgotten this truth in all of our complexity.

Finding myself starting to grumble,
I caught myself hard in the stumble.
Moving on like a modern Marlon Brandon,
I found myself sketchy like Picasso.

Circling back on all of my hesitations, 
It was a moment filled with frustration.
How is it that it's not a movie scene?
I look around, and everyone's gotten too mean.

(c) May 12, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved