Consistency, complacency
share a history
we underestimate
to keep the peace.
There is no “breaking news”
for such as these.
Chaos theory is more sexy,
a more golden fleece.
“Breaking news” breaks us, too.
It is meant to raise the hackles
and disclose the jackals
on the prowl again.
It breaks the calm.
It destroys the peace.
It steals the breath
until fear is all that is left.
We yearn for consistency
to shape our days,
and for complacency
to calm our nights.
We remember and remake history
of calmer, safer days
when heartbeats steadied.
“Breaking news” keeps us ready
for the next assault
and coils of thought and fault
to drag us down below the sea
where our heart rate pounds ceaselessly.
How can we survive this way,
when every single moment
of every single day
we await in repetitive agony
for ‘breaking news”.
“Breaking news”breaks us, too.
It breaks cities, states and whole countries.
Its persistence destroys real news, too.
Now, we need “talking heads” to explain
news reported, so inane,
we doubt its authenticity.
Smiling faces fill in gaps between the breaks
with stories of good Samaritans
then swing back quickly at the sound
of news breaking and shaking the ground
upon which we stand and hold hands.
Hands now trembling so hard they fall apart,
unable to hold together the bonds we have built,
to overcome guilt and build something new.
“Breaking news” breaks progress, too.
Perhaps, that is the point.
The point of no return to better ways and better days
when people felt free of fear
and were learning to hold one another dear.
