Cheerful but Awful
The world exclaims its enterprise
of tire squeal and bulldozers
scraping and dumping
and backing up for more;
of shrill sirens of mortality
and thwump thwump thwump
of helicopters eyeing traffic.
The world works against
the end of days, toward its
promises never quite fulfilled.
The school bus passes-
hopeful, gaudy, yellow-
with its load of workers in training,
its cargo of future corpses.
With such a world
one must invent a Heaven
with its eternally merciful,
resting, and disappointed God.
Otherwise, where's a world to go
but under dust
into the dark and dissipation.
of tire squeal and bulldozers
scraping and dumping
and backing up for more;
of shrill sirens of mortality
and thwump thwump thwump
of helicopters eyeing traffic.
The world works against
the end of days, toward its
promises never quite fulfilled.
The school bus passes-
hopeful, gaudy, yellow-
with its load of workers in training,
its cargo of future corpses.
With such a world
one must invent a Heaven
with its eternally merciful,
resting, and disappointed God.
Otherwise, where's a world to go
but under dust
into the dark and dissipation.
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Author's Note
Playing with my Protestant heritage again.
Other stories by Gary Hardaway
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Hit the nail on the head with this one, Gary. *
"of shrill sirens of mortality / and thwump thwump thwump / of helicopters eyeing traffic."
Love the rhythm and musicality in this one.*
You see things other people don't. I suppose it's not a lot of fun, but.... *
"The school bus passes-
hopeful, gaudy, yellow-
with its load of workers in training,
its cargo of future corpses."
No wonder the mornings are too heavy to lift and the darkness outside the fence too slippery. Good piece, Gary. *
Great take on Eden's curse. Cheer up, Isaiah says it gets better at the end of it all.
Invent heaven, drink it, snort it, or inject in our veins, I suppose.*
"Otherwise, where's a world to go
but under dust
into the dark and dissipation",
Yes! where to then? Lots of truth in this one. Nicely done...
Wow! Custom made for my dark mood on this ominously dreary late October day. Stop the world~ I want to get off! This works really well as a lyrical poem with firecracker imagery! Good writing! *
Thanks to everyone for your responses. I am grateful.
The third was the best, as it should be *
Thank you, Foster.
Excellent.
Thank you, Darryl.
Oh, well done! I particularly like the bus of school children. *
Thank you, Beate. Great choice for the Glass Woman Prize this year, btw.
“Into Dark and dissipation...” That’s a beautifully hopeless line... Yet hope lies in that very beauty.
Tnank you, Steve.