Sunday Wordle prompt:
Fiery, color, hand, catwalk, casualty, glass
rhythm, flow, blow, three, unity, furnace.
Through a glass, darkly.
The response is immediate:
The clenched hands,
The face’s fiery colour too,
The temple’s rhythmic flow
That beats out the base tattoo
Of raw intent.
A red veil descends,
The unity of reason and passion ends
In a furnace of anger and pride.
Intent to return pain for pain,
Hurt for hurt (if the past is any guide).
They strut, as on a catwalk,
Openly displaying their mission,
Unwilling to concede or even talk.
Base emotions drive them to strike a blow,
A three-pronged spear of retribution:
Revenge, vengeance, hurt, willing slaves.
In these heated moments
Reason is the first casualty.
Consequences, the second.
Best dig two graves.
.
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© 2021 J Cosmo Newbery
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As ever, confident and powerful stuff, my friend and I especially loved the way you tied this one up, with such sharp finish...
ReplyDeleteIt's better to just walk away than escalate any disagreement with others.
ReplyDeleteAlas, a scenario all too common nowadays, in various contexts. Your build-up of description and feeling is powerful.
ReplyDeleteVery keen description of emotions and attitude. May we never have to engage in such situations, but if we have to, here's wishing ourselves wisdom to deal with them properly.
ReplyDeleteI really like the powerful imagery, especially this bit: "a furnace of anger and pride".
ReplyDeleteI've been in, and broken up, many such events. You capture it well, and dig two graves indeed.
ReplyDeleteSadly true. I really, really like the final couplet - though a mass grave would also suffice.
ReplyDeleteOh, I can so picture the anger striding down the street. Strutting as you say. Proud of it. You can't reason with them, and may be dangerous to try. I've seen that kind of anger flash in eyes once, before I didn't know eyes could really flash.
ReplyDelete"Reason is the first casualty" Oof, does that ever feel too real nowadays.
ReplyDeleteBest closing line i've seen all day. Great work!
ReplyDeleteBet this was inspired by road rage. There is a lot of it about.
ReplyDeleteReally gorgeous writing--and what a great close!
ReplyDeleteA familiar scene written in powerful poetry. I've done a lot of walking away the past few years.
ReplyDelete