A boy once said, “I will be the future Pirate King!”
Crossing seas, he gained a family under his wing.
They search for the ultimate haul,
Would they survive or would they fall?
Their names pass into legend for all to sing.
(shamelessly promoting my love for Monkey D. Luffy)
Yesterday I heard,
“Grandma is sick. She’s in the hospital.”
And a peculiar feeling washed over me.
Sympathy for a fellow human in pain,
General concern for a family member—
Passing emotions, gone in a flash.
Two warring sides:
A dutiful granddaughter,
A distant grandmother.
How do I be a proper granddaughter
When I had no proper grandmother?
Irony.
No past shared, but oh how it dictates
The future.
Rippling from grandmother to mother
To daughter.
A history of pain and abandonment
That I can only imagine.
So I harden my heart.
Let it be frigid and unyielding.
I harbor no ill will towards her,
But I sow no deeper roots.
Shared blood alone does not engender
An innate bond.
Those yummy cheesy beans and steak,
Grilled perfection better than cake.
But wait…what’s that churning?
All rumbling and turning.
A potty visit: the price for my mistake.
The hot sun beams down
Over a deadly landscape,
Promising intrigue.
Digging hard with soft muscles,
I sigh and bury my crime.
I stand, shy and still.
A roving glance strays my way.
Bright smiles exchange.
A poison that seeps into the body,
Destroying without prejudice,
Wrecking the future landscape—
Marring and weakening a brief life.
They speak of peace and respect.
(Brandishing their weapons on the side.)
The fate of millions in the hands of a few—
Who gave them the power of God?
The worst poison inhabits us already:
The potential for murder in a single button,
And the false justifications that fall
Easily from our lips.
The clock counts down, quick!
Ready the table and drinks.
A party begins.
A soft evening: misty rain and candlelight,
Comfort food feeding a patient appetite.
Flames lick at the feet, warm and bright,
Match the heat within, out of sight.
A thrill of danger snaps with a bite—
The game of deception taking flight.
Charmed laughs and blushes might seem trite—
They kill silently without fight.
A fool falls from imagined height,
Crushed beneath a vengeful might.
Screams of horror, such delight—
Farewell now, have a good night.
A Curious Hermit 