No, This Is Not A Poem

no
this is not a poem
or an essay
or a speech
there’s no soapbox
to stand on
no cause to trumpet
no great evil to expose
this is just
a rant
an answer
to the challenge
that was thrown down
before me
landing at my feet
mocking my flagging
determination

no, this is not a poem
it is a song of grief
as i mourn
missed opportunities
left behind
communities
this is what comes
after
the broken pieces have been buried

this is my reality
crisis averted
or at least
postponed
lurking
on the edge of
my peripheral
just outside my sight