Ted Jonathan

 Decoder Poem
                                   
When they say,
I feel your pain.
They really mean--
Even your pain
is theirs to claim.

When they say,
Some things you
shouldn't
have to pay for.
They really mean--
They're scheming
24/7
to make you pay.

When they say,
There are two sides
to every story.
They really mean--
Whatever side you're on
they'll take the other.

When they say,
I’ve made peace with it.
They really mean--
They’ll take it to the grave.

When they say,
Buy one get one free.  
They really mean--
They’ve quadrupled
the price of one. 

On their parents,
when they say,
They did the best
they could.
They really mean--
They would’ve
been better off 
in an orphanage.

When they say,
Fifty is the new forty
They really mean--
They're pushing sixty.

When they say,
So sorry to hear that.
They really mean--
Your sorrow is
their sustenance.

When they say,
He's like family.
They really mean--
They're paying him less
than the minimum wage.

When they say,
Don't be a stranger.
They really mean--
They rue the day
you were born.

When they say,
No cause for alarm.
Consider suicide.

 

Ted Jonathan is a poet and short story writer. Born and raised in the Bronx, he now lives in New Jersey. His work has appeared in many magazines. Translations of his poetry have appeared in Russian magazines. His first collection Spiked Libido was published by Neukeia Press. Bones & Jokes, his most recent full-length collection of poems and short stories, has been published by NYQ Books (2009).