[Newspoetry] poem

[Anne Bargar]

Indicators Indicate

Indicators indicate that he (or she)
will beat the crap out of she (or he)
once started in an intimate context, 
this pattern repeats

Indicators then indicate that she (or he)
just wants this to stop
and he (or she) wont control when they pop
she (or he) in the face with a fist, which inexplicably
is somehow the fault of she (or he)

Indicators also indicate complicated dynamics
between he (or she) and she (or he)
making it hard for she (or he) 
to leave he (or she), 
nor will he (or she)
let she (or he) 
go quietly

On another note, indicators indicate that
the news likes to feel good about itself
so sometimes she (or he) and he (or she)
are shown on tv
reformed, reconciled,
and now violence-free

Indicators also indicate systems will fail
and that he (or she) might get hauled off to jail
because beaten to death was she (or he)
despite the intent of he (or she)

Indicators indicate statistics appear;
to those looking for them, they bring wear and tear
one finds them a jumble; they are quite unsorted
because this sort of thing often goes unreported


-babs