Guilt-ridden (a 6-word story)

A guilt-ridden blessing of America’s sins.

New World (Part 10) – A Poetry Journal

7-3-22

Homelessness in America is a scandal and a moral crime. We are the wealthiest country in the world, and yet, in every major city I’ve been to, I’ve noticed the homeless population rising.

I have written about affordable housing enough in my day job to know the housing problem is complex. But after every story I write and every real estate professional I talk to, I come away with the feeling there are endless excuses as to why the homelessness problem can’t be solved or at least significantly diminished. I mostly get the feeling that most people who can truly solve the problem don’t care, and greed is the primary factor. Increasingly, these injustices no longer shock me, and they seem commonplace and almost inherent in the human species, something that will never change.

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I Weep for My Country

I weep for my country.

America was never perfect, and it never will be. But things keep getting worse, and so many of my fellow Americans seem to want to inflict suffering and sorrow on the vulnerable. What is behind this hatred? Is it simply a thirst for power and control? I can’t understand it, and I probably never will.

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My Faith Today

I am the daughter of a heterosexual White Christian couple from Tennessee. I am the granddaughter of many generations of southern families. I am unclear if any of my family ever owned slaves, but I won’t rule it out. I was raised in the church, but in reflecting upon everything I learned as a child, it was not the church that taught me how to be a good person – it was my mother and my grandmothers.

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Numb, Hollow Feeling (a poem)

It’s a numb feeling
Something hollow
When you know there’s no hope for the country
No chance for a better tomorrow

What will we do?
I’m not quite sure
What will happen next?
Only God knows for sure

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Blood Drowning (a poem)

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

Author’s Note: RIP America (again).

(Photo by Max Muselmann on Unsplash)

Extraterrestrial Prejudice (flash fiction)

Here’s a piece of humor flash fiction about the crash landing of an alien spaceship and American stupidity. It’s about 570 words and has an estimated reading time of 2 and a half minutes. Let me know what you think!