Old Pep McGee

Old Pep McGee

Was rusted

Glass cracked

LED shinning brightly

As the canvas of the tent

Shook violently

The campers playing poker

Absorbing every lumen

Of light they could

While Old Pep McGee

Thought she was bright as the sun

Though she wasn’t

Her batteries turning

Into acidic husks within her coils

Her light slightly dimming

Plastic pieces slightly melted

Yet she shone

Bright as she could

While her campers

Squinted down at their cards

The canvas rippled

Snapping the metal zippers

Awake

Clinking against each other

Faster and faster

As the wind howled

Like a hungry wolf

At the tiny glittering green tent

Crisp breaths filling the air

The lantern humming

Melting away

As a battery operated

Heater helped to keep

Cold hands

At bay

Until its batteries died

The group sighed

Curling up into sleeping bags

The lantern stayed on

Keeping the night

At bay

For all

Were afraid

Of the mysterious

Darkness whispering

For them to venture deeper within

While Old Pep McGee hummed

Until the starlit sky

Brightened

With the pink hues

Of a new day

She blinked off

To the hum of voices

Talking about coffee

-A.H.