by Laura Howat

Order! Order! Standing on a chair, she cried.
Struggling to gain control of the committee, she tried.
The accountant rocked back and forth muttering,
Have to follow the budget, spreadsheets, rules, debits and credits stuttering.
The athlete jogged in place then struck a power pose.
Wake up you’re going comatose.
Let’s blow this joint.  Get some sunshine and fresh air.
Go deep and hard forget this stuff.  Swear!
The nature girl twirled, Let’s go for a mountain walk, change of scenery.
Chant “ohms”, flowing water, butterflies, wildflowers, calming greenery.
The drama queen stomped and raged.
Mistake to sit her next to the abandoned teen, now they had a stage.
Stop cowering girl!  You’re not invisible!  You matter!
The teen balled her fists and screamed.  Abused! Ignored!  Left! Now shattered.
The artist turned away, went internal.
Dug out her notebook, started to journal.

The executive sat quietly until the melee faded.
Took a deep breath and persuaded.
We fight all the time.  It’s a tragedy.
Can’t we find common ground?  Live in harmony?
Every day we argue and get tangled.
The conflict leaves me mangled.
And because you all live in my brain,
we need to go forward together without causing a migraine.