A Dystopian New Year
We stand, not united, but wary
The cusp of another year in sight
Voices silently counting down not with hope
But with the quiet tension of breath held too long
Backs stiff, muscles aching
Soon skies will flicker with fireworks
Website with false headlines
Yet the masses are waiting
Which explosions are we meant to celebrate
The thunder crackers and tube boomers
Or the blasts from missiles and grenades
The false joy streaming from the crowds
Noisy true, but only to hide the sorrow
A temporary refuge to ignore the pain
Loneliness in a sea of thousands
Forgotten how to speak to one another
Without each word a honed razors edge
Keyboard warriors ambushing one another
Watch the taking of digital sides
Invisible smoke slinks through
Nipping at the heels of the wealthy
Rucksacks filled with the proceeds of forever wars
No one admits to starting
And no one knows how they’ll end
Weeks turn to months, and then years
The meat grinder takes its toll
Bags of money moving
Maps glowing in third world theaters
Nameless victims line up for the slaughter
Grief settles beside our coffee cups
Smart phones with stupid headlines
Pick a side, even if you don’t know why
Protests need to fill their ranks
Targets grow softer by the day
Constant lines of refugees
Their lives packed into tattered bags
Reduced to what their backs can carry
Going where, somewhere, anywhere, no one cares
We argue about them from our living rooms
Our conference rooms, newsrooms
Numbers, ages, race
All political talking points
While starving children cross deserts
with nothing but their names to fill their bellies
It’s not much better here
The forever war, rich against poor
Our middle class evaporating in slow motion
Two jobs, three jobs, it’s never enough
Paychecks stretched like worn fabric
Hopes and prayers won’t pay the rent
The American dream priced out of reach
Like fanciness locked safe behind glass counters
Our screens are all we got
Good, bad, or otherwise, they pass the time
Hide the outside world from prying eyes
We scroll past suffering
With the flick of a finger
All we want is some entertainment
Finish the dreadful day with a laugh, maybe two
Artificial voices promise better answers
While real voices tremble in truth
Shivering in rooms where the rent is late
The pantry shelves grow thinner by the day
And the truth that must be faced
That hunger knows our names
Some see it as prophecy
How the world has taken sides, splintered into teams
New tribes, with the same names
Real truth twisted and bent
Signs and slogans the modern-day torches
Neighbors always watching one another
Some through the narrow optics along a long barrel
Everyone is suspicious
No one is above it, despite the denial
Urban storms rise quickly, growing like flash flooding
A flash point that doesn’t need sparking
For there’s the certainty
The absolute fact of the matter
That the other side is no longer human
My way or the highway
Join or die
And yet inside the storm
A dystopian new year seems to find the time
Midnight still arrives
Corks fly in tenement houses
Paper cups beneath a shelter’s fluorescent light
A kiss from a stranger
Cloudy heads think hope is on its way
Hands in prayer
To a God, to money, who knows, and really, who cares
It doesn’t matter in the slightest
Nothing will change for the better
Water still circles the drain
We stand there watching it flow
Trapped between the last second and the next second
Questioning our everything
Our sanity, and the fragile decision
Do we try again?
Time holds still, waiting for an answer
Are we brave enough
To imagine something better
In the ruins of what we’ve become?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see
Additional Reading
R.J. (Ralph) Schwartz is an American poet, author, website owner, and online publisher. His writing spans several poetry collections—ranging from spiritual and romantic to fear-driven explorations—and even extends into science fiction. Notable works include:
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Hope – Inspirational and Spiritual Poetry
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Things That Go Bump in the Night – Poetry of Fear and Fright
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The Lover’s Thread – Poetry for Couples
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Poetry of the Human Condition – The Ups and Downs of Modern Living
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The Secrets of the Moon (a sci-fi novel co-authored with his son Sebastian J. Schwartz)
Schwartz’s work is described as purposefully wordy, richly descriptive, and thematically grounded in nature, romance, antiquity, and forgotten histories. He writes regularly on platforms he manages, including The Creative Exiles, a collaborative venue for writers, and The Gypsy Thread, which delves into offbeat histories, pagan lore, and poetry.
- When The Dictator Falls - January 12, 2026
- In The Space Between Breaths - January 9, 2026
- The Witch Returns - January 2, 2026
