Cynthia Kneen read her poem at our Poetry Pocket event on July 23, 2024
News Item FLASH
Local lady, attending a birthday party, was captured by Harpies deep in their joy, who ate her at the table. She had sailed into the home in cautious bliss, an observer said, scanned who was there, then spotted J and V, hello, hello. She didn’t see the rocks, they said. Couldn’t feel the winds, they said. Didn’t hear the cackles until suddenly wings flapped, feathers flew, flesh was torn.
How old are you anyway?
Yeah, how old are you?! Just say it, say it!
Startled, she floundered, failed at her defense.
When the frenzy died down, they ate her hat for dessert.
The cause of death is not known, local media said.
By whom not known? By you? By me?
Why is there a war in Syria?
What is happening in the observables?
Who are the terrorists?
News Item FLASH from the Ether
Sssomebody dissed me, she said before she died.
Sssssomebody’s been disssssssing me a long long time, been dissssing my girlssssssss, dissing my curlsssssssss.
Now I don’t mind, she said, you dissssssing my Cadillac, but if you’re after my attention, just trying to get my look, it’s not coooooooooooool what you do, iffff you sssssssee what I mean.
And I do mind you dissssing me.
Soooooo, I accccccccccept your apology, ifffff you give it ─ I’d sssssssssssay, ssssssssssooner is better.
Then we’ll go for a ride in my Cadillac, top down, and we’ll cruissssssssssse a sssssoft landing.
No hard ffffffeelings, okay?
Now, excusssssssssssse me while I die ─ iffffff you pleassssssssssse.
The cause of death is not known, local media said.
By whom not known? By you? By me?
Why is there a war in Syria?
What is happening in the observables?
Who are the terrorists?
Who are the terrorists?
Photo: By Mahmoud Bali (VOA) – US-backed Forces Press Deeper Into Southern Raqqa City, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61719487