Part of what I’m hoping to do over the course of the marathon is (should circumstances allow) is work on poems in proposed sequences/other projects. The previous poem “Duchess of Oldenburg” (though owing to the prompt, it was very different to how I thought it might be) was for such a project. And so is this. It’s for “Dropped the Sky” a Novel in Poems Young Adult book I’m working on which chronicles a pretty total invasion & how the few ragtag survivors cope.

rhapsody

when they came : no one knew what to do : met up with two older guys : figured themselves soldiers : couple of shotguns : & high powered rifles : peashooters basically : compared to what we were against : only we didn’t know : at the time : i refused a weapon : even though i could handle a gun : acted as a scout : while they blundered : all swagger : hollywood heroes : idiots : came across an enemy soldier : in its suit : got some shots off : but were : vaporised : literally into air : 2 quick blasts : afterwards : it walked the path : beneath where i was hiding : was so mad : i swung down : ripped the hoses : out of its helmet : out of its tank : the suit’s death was slower : much slower : than those two : stupid farmboys

the dust was orange
same shade as the setting sun
— but was once two men