early on we assumed a dragon
came to eat the sun
light itself threatened by the cosmos
in our later enlightenment
picnic under heaven’s shadows
shaped up as the ritual norm
even now, though: smiles slip to gasps
About the Creator
Mark Francis
Published translator of verse and original writer of haiku, senryu, lyric, occasional and genre poetry and speculative fiction.
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Letter to our Queer & Trans Youth
Hey, you. I thought I’d start this letter by telling you a little about myself, just so you know who you’re dealing with. I’m an emotional dad, father to three amazing kids who we met through the foster care system, and whose presence in our lives has really transformed my sense of responsibility to the communities that surround us. The connections we’ve made with one another, with our extended families, and with the communities where we live and look for belonging have catapulted us into this whirlwind of emotional tumult which, while not easy by any stretch of the measure, has also been remarkably healing. I realize ours is really only a one-sided chosen family, since our kids didn’t get to choose to live here, but I’d like to think that they did choose to let us love them, which allowed them to grow to love us. And I think that’s where I want to go with this letter- to a place where you can find belonging and healing- even if the pathway there may be peppered with some emotional tumult.
By F Cade Swanson4 days ago in Pride
Comments (13)
Mark, this is marvelous. Leave it to you to capture the hungry dragons.
Congrats!
wondrous!
This is great. Congrats on the TS
Congratulations 🎉🎉 for top story .You radiate positivity! Your energy uplifts everyone around you.
congrats for your top story.
Simplistic, yet full of awe and wonder. Congrats on your Top Story!
I like the contrast between what we used to think of eclipses vs our calm understanding of them now. And “ smiles slip to gasps” shows that they still hold a sense of wonder for us. Nicely done Mark:)
This is lovely. Congrats on the TS.
Clever adaptation and use of the word Adds a story book feel to this piece Congratulations
Like a new myth and/or a new fable with a great interpretation of intensity
This is one way of looking at such a historical event.
Nice take on the eclipse acrostic!