To Those Who Will

How, in a hundred words, to sing their praise?
The force who face the plague from pole to pole
Who make our broken dreams a future, whole
Who free the lives the virus locked away.

How can I count their millions? Mending hands
That twice and more will take us by the arm
And teach our lungs to breathe, our blood to calm
To know, and scorn the pathogen’s commands.

How, summarise the fifteen billion acts
That finally cut the curve. The work, the woe
The hope and sacrifice behind the facts;
Between “vaccine” and “we are free to go”.

Leave history lab and leader, clown and crown.
When we are saved, it happens town by town.

Origin Story

Ensure your mask is tight upon your face
Before you save: a kitten up a tree,
A city’s soul. The heroes go to waste
Who bear a heart too bold; who breathe too free.

Not for your racing heart, your rushing breath
Upon the precipice; but for the weary hands,
That knit, and nurse a fire at the hearth
And bear the weight of woe when it comes home.

Nor let your care relax when once alone:
With bleach and soda clean what crossed your mouth,
Stomach a kind and cleansing sustenance
And sleep with mask and costume close at hand.

The rampage runs, unchallengéd, uncowed.
Nothing but facelessness can save us now.

The End of Supervillainy

A star, on the tallest tower
Raised by the citizens’ pride
In the heart, and the arm, and the shoulder
That waits against need in the sky

A lab, in the lowest of basements
From the scum of the sewers to raise
A lance, for the bubble of courage;
A lens, for the gorgonous gaze.

A night when the sky is a-thunder.
Find, midst the mud and the rain
A face, with a breath and a pulse
To carry the glass and the glaive.

Climb, when the hour is darkest
Crouch at the zenith, alone.
Leap. Hope. Lash out; and die falling
Lost in the city of stone.

Late

Window dark; upon the night-stand
A clock shows five a.m.
The sleeper rolling over.
A snore is heard again.

A whistle at the station
The pinkish glow of dawn.
A roar of train-set engines
The six-fifteen has gone.

A yawn. A stretch. Awoken
By sun-beams bright and broad
A swear-word from a bedroom.
Seven — and not aboard!

A scramble through the smartphone
For bus and car instead
And haste for 8 o’clock tonight,
Three hundred K’s ahead.

With apologies to Henry Lawson

Multi-Threaded Stories: Watchmen & The Fair To Middling

This post follows a writing-group discussion about stories with several parallel protagonists. Epic fantasy examples were easy; then we wondered about other genres.

I found a few on my bookshelf, someone asked for a list, and somehow I’ve ended up writing an analysis. This took longer than I planned, so I’ve only covered a couple of examples for now:

Mini-Review: Floating Worlds

I’ve just finished reading Floating Worlds, by Cecilia Holland. The novel follows an anarchist, Paula Mendoza, negotiating a peace treaty with what are basically “space orcs”.

There were a few things that really impressed me about this book.

Pedestals

Tall stands the hall of the heroes high
Lights tower bright against the sky
Beowulf
Perseus
Lancelot
Sam
Mighty names
in a mason’s hand

Loud the trumpets, proud the bells
Each from its tower a tale tells
Monsters,
Tempters,
Murder,
War
Challenged heroes
and are no more

Rich the sculptures, gold and gems
Raised in praise by wealthy men
Indigo,
Marble,
Ivory,
Jade
Tell of deeds that
shall not fade.

Deep foundations keep concealed
Shrines the heroes lived to build
Chimera
Grendel
Shelob
Fay
“Remember those
we fought to slay”

Still, Life

A shot glass, half empty.
Emerald green liquid glints, in
A stopped gold watch.

---

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/suicide-prevention

Unfallen

Here were the towers tall, their burnished domes
Brazed mirror-bright against the wild horde.
Here we learned strength. Faced fire, trial, and woes,
Wrought wonders, and the grave was our reward.

But what a grave! A temple to the few,
With golden statues to each lost, last stand.
Our legends glorious, or tales true
Inscribed on every stone eternal stand.

Still, we its wardens take today our leave.
The war has shifted. Now strategic plans,
Too grand for blooded blades, demand we grieve.
Our fort, unconquered, falls to lesser hands.

So raze the glories! Snuff the burnished glow!
From gilded rubble nightmares, now we go.

Once More, With Purpose

Once there were daisies and butterflies.
Goldfish glowed in the stream.
Now there are soldiers,
Bases and rations,
Wheat, and nothing else green.

Peace is the talk of the table.
“Peace” is the word on the signs.
Councils of protest;
A march, a petition.
A child, left home: “Stay behind!”

Whispers of horror.
“Oppressive!”
“Inhuman!”
The months become years.
Still no sign.

A letter, unopened.
“One day, when you’re older.”
Sneaking out with a torch, to know why.

Once there were roses to dream of.
Trysts on the grass, by the stream.
Now, there are letters,
Lawyers, and archives.
Now there are things to achieve.