a smoldering world
by Lauren Cono
Around me
masks cannot properly protect
from the ash
flecks of fear falling down
on a city, a community
already shuttered down
dreary and dystopian
mists surround me
while I watch
fictional depictions of heroes
defeating doomsday
while we stay
in pseudopods
captivating our souls.
Language alludes us
or gets lost in the clouds
minefields of newsreels
asteroids fated for our home
while democracy drowns
dying to breathe in
holding its breath
while tempers are burning
as bright or as dark as
the new moon
beginning again.
To be reborn
the Phoenix
requires vulnerability
an admission
that rebirth carries karma
so the cycle can continue
a circle of suffering
and consecrating
our persistent existence
to live within
a smoldering world.
thesharklol 