Crushed Souls

Despite the red

We eagerly bathed in

(For prosperity’s sake)

We painted ourselves

In hues of white,

The innocence of flesh

And the sainthood

Of our idolized visions.

We sold words

That begged forgiveness

For sins we refused-

Responsibility,

For inhumane action

We strategically acted upon

To build our fortress

To protect ourselves

From what we knew-

What we ourselves

Had done.

One monster teaches

Another-

And so goes the cycle-

One ending

Is another’s beginning,

And the terror that there may be

Another us

Shatters peaceful sleeps,

Alters heart beats

Until eye’s twitch

And hands shake

And we implode

Creating a representation

Of what we did to other,

Begging for the next

To step in and clean

The fragile mess

We live upon,

And quivering at the title

Savage.

The throne we sit upon

Rests upon the bones

Of civilized souls

That we crushed beneath

Our well-to-do boots,

And we boast of karma

Not knowing

When the next round

Will be served.

Katrina Thornley is a nature poet and novelist that resides in Rhode Island. She has two poetry collections currently published, a novel, as well as a short story anthology. Her poetry collections "Arcadians: Lullaby in Nature" and "Arcadians: Wooden Mystics" were inspired by a local park and life in her small rural town. You can find them on Amazon now!

Also, be sure to give her a follow on Instagram!