The smell of air conditioning and sales
Inundate the atmosphere.
The laughters and conversations of
Shoppers,
Heard from within bringing
Pleasantry
Along with children crying for
Attention.
Popular songs mixed in,
sharing a thrilling taste of
A nostalgic
Teenage adventure
Within the concrete arena.
Vibrant colors of clothing
Catch the eyes,
The latest fashion
Tantalizing,
Just a touch of
Soft silk cloth
Flows over fingertips.
Caressing the skin of
An expensive lover.
Screams of laughter
Transform into terror from the
Repetitive, macabre beat of ammunition.
Shells dance onto the floor,
Serving sorrow to sinless shoppers.
The stench of fear grips their hearts, while
Hard concrete slaps their faces.
Eight souls purloined before their time.
While those who can change laws,
Sing the same old song of
Thoughts and prayers
The cold dish of mourning for the
Eight.
They will forever be
Silent.
Erased.
Untouchable.
Flavorless in spirit.
Only the noisome odor of hate
Remains where they should have
Belonged.
About the Creator
Iris Harris
An aspiring novelist. I enjoy writing ghost, horror, and drama. Occassionally, I dabble with some essays. You can find more of my work with the link below:
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Keep reading
More stories from Iris Harris and writers in Poets and other communities.
The Golden Valley
The difference between light and dark could be as quick and simple as a flip of a switch, the drawing of a curtain, the opening of one’s eyes. It could be more gradual like the slow adjustment of the diaphragm on a microscope, the turn of a planet on its axis, the growing light as you approach the end of a tunnel. A flicker in the dark, a steady glow in the distance, a flash in the night sky.
By Alyssa Nicole3 days ago in Fiction
Comments (6)
Hard to believe that people would vote into office representives who care more for their personal wallets then the lives of their constituents
Shocking and timely and in your face. This is what we need to recon with. How long until enough is enough? Well done 💔
😭😭. Very well done, Iris. That ending was crushing.
Extremely powerful and another demonstration of the horrible jokes "These are just sales demos for the NRA and GOP"
So horribly on topic. Well done, this is tough to write about but I think it's needed isn't it ❤
Awesome👌✍❤