Category: Poetry

My neck was stiff from stress. It wrenched out of place overnight, making it feel tight down the right side. This would require me to treat it with ice and alternate with heat, too, like I had the time for it. But first, I needed some tea made from dried thistles and raspberries to calm me. Sipping it and listening to the chirping of the wee birds in the garden actually did.

I had to stick to the story my uncle said in a fit of rage. His horns were showing in that moment, and I was blushing with guilt.

In the spirit of full disclosure, rage was vibrating outward among all who saw the despair unfold before them, the air tragedy of Flight 923. All were pulsating with anger. “Why on earth did this need to happen?” Anyone with a heart made their presence known with angry shouts. They spoke specifically about the greed contributing to the inferno in the sky. Loosening safety directives and CEOs pulling strings where they ought not; this was the cause of this recent aviation disaster.

I should have tried to calm the crowd, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I turned to walk away.