George R. Shirer's Blog, page 3

What Happened to the Moon

The Moon was jealous,and stood in front of the Sun,turning day to night.Mother Nature was angry."What are you doing?"She demanded of the Moon."You've unleashed chaos!""I do not care!" said the Moon."I'm tired of the night!""You're being very foolish," said Mother Nature."And you're spoiling my good mood.""You love the Sun more!"wailed the Moon, starting to cry."You never scold him!"The Moon's tears fell on the Earth,causing awful floods.The seas rose, drowning the land.Men and beasts were drowned.Mother Nature struck the Moon,knocking her away.The Moon fell into the dark,sobbing and moaning.To this day, the Moon is lost,drifting in the dark.But the Sun and Stars still shine,keeping the skies bright.

Gasping

She tightens the noose.Silk digs into pliant flesh.Release? A deep breath.
#haiku #gasping

Damp City

The city sleeps in rain.Turning. Fretful. Unhappy.Plagued by damp nightmares.

Happy New Year...Finally

Hello, gentle readers.It's been a while, hasn't it?Sorry about that.I'd like to say that I've had a good excuse for not posting more frequently, but the only one I can offer is that life has just sort of happened and this blog has suffered for it.Not to worry, though, you haven't really missed anything.I was working on a new book. It's at about novelette-length, at the moment, but I've put it aside because it has become more a chore than an act of joy, and I'm one of those people who can't write if I don't enjoy what I'm writing.I know. That's terribly unprofessional of me, but at least I'm being honest.I have noticed a bit of an uptick in my Amazon sales lately, which is very nice. If I make another, I can afford to buy a bottle of Coke.Anyway, gentle readers, the holiday season is finally over. I'm a little older, a little wiser, a little more jaded and a little wider.  There's not much I can do about the first three, but I'm trying to get the last under control again.I hope that the end of 2022 saw you in a better position than when it started and that 2023 has gotten off to a good start.I will, sincerely, try to post more frequently.

Winter Came Today

Winter came today,heralded by frosty windsand misty plumes of breath.
Cold-fingered, it came,holding to December's hand,a terrible child.
Winter took the throne,and the Months showed it honor,some more than others.
Winter did not care.Its heart was cold, sharp as ice.Its soul a black night.
Winter came today.and it took the Season's Throne,to begin its reign.
#haiku #winter 

The Season of Bones

Winter approaches,heralded by the long night,the season of bones.
All the green gods die,cut down by the sacred bladesof their own clergy.
But the world weeps not,now that winter holds her heart.Cold. Uncaring. Cruel.
But the folk light fires,on hilltops and in the dells,to quicken her heart.
And blood is offered,from the altars, from gold cups,to sustain the world.
The long night passes.The world's heart is rekindled,and the green gods live.

Happy Thanksgiving

 Hello gentle readers, I have two things to share with you today.

First of all, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I sincerely hope that you and yours are having a great day and have good things to be thankful for.  

Secondly, I am no longer on Twitter. I haven't actually posted anything relevant on Twitter in some time, and in light of the direction that it seems to be heading, I have decided to leave. If I switch to another social media platform, I will notify everyone via this blog.

You may now return to your turkey and apple pie. :)

Sympathy for the Living

The dead lady watches the live girl get her heart broken.  Tears slide down the girl's cheeks as she texts angrily on her phone. The dead lady would brush the tears away if she could, but all she can do is watch.

She knows this isn't the end of the girl's world, although it probably feels that way to the girl.  She wishes she could communicate it to the girl, but the girl is a psychic dullard.

The dead lady would tell her there are better things to come.

But all the dead lady can do is watch and empathize.

The Dead

The football players were dead. They had died some time ago. However, that didn't stop them from lurching around the field, bouncing into one another like maggoty bumper cars.

Patsy watched them from the relative safety of the announcer's booth.  The wooden structure still had intact doors and functional locks, and Patsy hadn't met a deader yet who could manage stairs.

Most of the football players were still wearing their uniforms. The bright high school colors were faded and soiled. The helmets and padding would make getting to their vulnerable brains difficult.  Bullets would do the job but she was out and, as far as she knew, there weren't any bullets left in all of Littleville. God knew she'd scavenged enough houses to know.

There might have still been ammo at the military base, but she wasn't going anywhere near that place. It was sealed up, tight as a drum. The military had closed ranks when it became obvious they weren't going to be able to get a handle on things. At the end, they'd started firing on anyone who approached the base's fortified gates. Patsy had seen them blow a news helicopter out of the sky with some kind of missile.

By then, Patsy had been on her own. She'd lost her family and didn't have anyone to look out for but herself.  She'd barricaded herself in the attic of an abandoned garage, managing to survive while the world collapsed around her.

There had been radio broadcasts for a while, so Patsy knew that things were bad all over. The military had closed ranks, looking out for their own. Fuck the civilians. Fuck the politicians. There'd been unconfirmed reports that the Secret Service had executed the President and Vice-President, because they'd been partly responsible for causing the Uprising.  Part of some ridiculous plan to hold onto power by causing a national emergency.

Patsy wasn't sure she believed it, but she wouldn't have put it beyond them. Politicians were generally shitty people, only interested in looking out for themselves.

Ironically, Patsy had to admit that it was that kind of mindset that had kept her alive. She looked out for herself and no one else.

It wasn't always easy. She'd seen a car break down, near her safe house. Watched as the deaders swarmed the vehicle, tore the occupants apart. The screams had lasted longer than Patsy would have thought.

The worst part was that the deaths didn't bother her that much. The deaders were just acting on a basic instinct to hunt and feed. They weren't malicious.  The living didn't have any such excuse.

She didn't have any such excuse.

Patsy accepted that, just like she accepted the fact that no one would come to help her escape this wooden shack. She was on her own. She'd have to rescue herself, and she would do whatever she had to, to stay alive, no matter how awful.

Fuck everyone else.  She'd stay alive, even if it cost her, her soul.

 

RIP Queen Elizabeth II

Today was marked by the passing of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, at her Balmoral estate.
I have always had great admiration for Queen Elizabeth. She displayed a sense of devotion, civic duty and public poise that far too few people, let alone Heads of State, have ever displayed.
I would like to extend my condolences to the Royal Family, the people of the United Kingdom and the citizens of the Commonwealth in this time of loss.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.