Demanding Respect

Demanding respect given and served.
Without this first to give.
Is as an American way of life,
As a slice of apple pie.
Expected warm, homemade and delicious.

And entitlements to get,
Perceived deserved without earning them.
Yet...
Genuine as gold at the end of a rainbow.
Everywhere to expect attention.
Like a crown worn not to notice,
How the rhinestones in it glisten as if...
Sitting upon the heads,
Of descendents of royalty.

That no one should dare to mistake,
As a charading in costume to masquerade.
To then request an announcement made.
That everyone should be aware,
Of how important the braggerts are...
Making all the noise,
Seeking from others...
An expression of shown and divine,
Acknowledgement!
To be in the presence of 'queens'.

'Where are the 'kings'
You made no reference to them at all.'

Look closely.
They are in drag.
Seeking as much attention as they can get!

'How times have changed.'

Not really.
But...
Your opinion is valid.

There was a time,
They had dressed up like this...
Secretly and discreetly alone in their homes.
But since their wives were surprised,
They looked more like women than they did.
Whoever it was,
Encouraged them to go public.
And...
That was it for the money grabbers.

These days those guys appear in Las Vegas.
Putting the original showgirls,
As an outdated burlesque boring entity.
And less of an attraction to imagine,
What has happened to reality.
Yet...
As time progresses and moves on?
The imaginations of many,
Have become more satisfying...
Than the real thing to experience,
From sunrise to sunset.
With it to attempt to respect,
The same nonsense...
Many expect not to nod one out into a snore!

'Times these days are exaggerated.
And what's going on is not that bad.'

Oh?
When was the last time you were confronted,
By a child going to elementary school.
And pulls out from a backpack,
A loaded gun demanding from you...
Lunch money?
With enough to buy some weed.

'That's why I am happy,
Some in leadership positions...
Have begun to ban and censor books.
Influencing the minds,
Of our easy to manipulate children.'

These kids today are far from innocent.
Only their teachers seem to know this,
Too well.
To see and hear them as they are.
On a daily basis.
After freely being released from the cages!
And their parents,
Defend and protect their pretentiousness.
To claim the teachers are the blame,
For not being professional enough...
To trap, muzzle and domesticate,
Wild animals with eyes...
That could, from one moment to next,
Melt icebergs!
Then with unexplained viciousness,
Have their teachers...
Screaming down the halls of these schools,
As if chased to the exits.
By a pack of wolves.
Seeking fresh meat to eat.
But instead are met to face weapons.
Weapons of all kinds brought from home.

'It is clear to me,
You have had no experience teaching...
The ambitious minds of today's children.
Quietly sitting to be taught,
Lessons they are prepared and need to learn.'

So right you are.

And yet there are times I regret,
Opportunities to roam through a jungle.
While a family of charging lions.
Or a herd of stampeding elephants,
Observing me waving my hands.
Nervously attempting to explain,
How it would be to their benefit...
To accept me as a crazed martyr.
If this should be their thoughts to wish.
But at least quietly calm down.
It would be to their benefit if they did.
And consider the many opportunities.
Awaiting at their fingertips.
Or paws. Whatever.
If for an hour to just pay attention.
To the ways of the elite and status quo...
Await,
With open arms to embrace their ambitions.

But...
This patiently to do,
Requires from them...
A willingness to listen.
Their mood and attitude.

'That's nuts.
That's crazy.
Who in their right undisturbed mind,
Would do something stupid like that?
Knowing what they do,
Poses a threat to their survival?

To then expect and have it to believe,
They had been conscious about...
Making such an outrageous decision.'

You have said it all.
Needless is my next comment to make.
And pointless it would be to agree,
To your comments just expressed.
Teaching...
As a career these days?
Is a personal battle.
Since,
Very few are the brave feeling heroic!
And none are heard praising,
Running down a hall escaping through an exit!
To jump in a car.
Hoping the tires are not slashed.

'Will you stop that.
You act as if today's kids are monsters.'

No.
I disagree.
Those acts are performed,
By children as if professionally trained!
Me?
I would rather sit in a cage.
With a domesticated panther.
Discussing how the past had been.
And feeling disgusted to allow being trapped.
When all that panther had to do,
Was to appear to be a threat and left alone.

Today?
In these times we live?
Everybody claims,
To have a remedy or cure...
For everything to fix.
But mental illness,
Appears nowhere near anyone's list.
As a priority to face it as is!