“Hope is a powerful thing. But be mindful. It’s only as good as the object you place it in. Hope can bring you through the darkest night. When that hope is in an impossible dream, it will bring only despair.” – Tyler Edwards, from The Outlands
Mass death is the name of this game Don’t let it become normal School shootings aren’t normal Assault rifles in 18-year-old hands, not normal Murdered children and politicians who don’t care None of this is normal
Outrage is the proper emotion Anger is to be expected Scared parents are normal Depression and despair, also normal Fits of crying is perfectly normal
I want to replace every gun with a flower I want to heal the world Of course, it’s not possible But what if?
Every time someone is shot I’ll plant a rose garden Or maybe some daffodils Every time a gun is bought I’ll teach a child their ABC’s Or buy them twenty books
How to fight off despair? The walls closed in, chaos, claustrophobia Mean eyes everywhere I look There must be some melted hearts out there Amid the hatred and relentless despair
Hate in hearts can be broken with love Like nestling into a sweetheart’s arms Under cool moonlit nights Away from infinite news cycles and images Of society tearing, tearing apart But how to fight off despair?
Rage gun fury Blood on my face, blood on my hands Blood everywhere Bloody Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday Blood every day of the week Dip your phone in blood before you check the news feed I woke up in my bloody bed, washed my bloody head Blood at the grocery store, at the schools God is crying blood I screamed; blood spewed from my mouth Stars and stripes soaked with blood Blood on the streets, up to my ankles, like Morrison said Blood drives for the loss of blood Bleeding out in the 3rd grade Blood from the suicides Blood from moms who cried Blood from those who died A wave and tide of blood Drowning in blood Mix it with the mud Wash everything in blood Soak the soil, the bloody roots The tree of blood, tree of dead wisdom Tree of hanged men, tree of dead kin Take my blood, it’s yours to keep They like it this way, so let’s serve it up The exploded heads and chests The body parts in the classroom The bloody assault rifles The bloody protests The blood we give Born in the blood, death in blood Take my blood, it’s all yours
Here’s a piece of fantasy flash fiction about a magical town and the threat of modern society. It’s about 740 words and has an estimated reading time of 3 minutes. Let me know what you think!