The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Autumnal Crunch
by Angela Yuriko Smith

Once, there were people.

Children ran among the leaves—

crisp, autumnal crunch…

.

but we couldn’t learn, leave

well enough alone. we had to meddle

and unsettle the things that ought

stay buried. we prodded, dug up 

and carried the spoils from below.

ignorance isn’t bliss when it 

blisters, leaves nowhere to go

but down in a futile attempt

to undo, set back, repent but 

the deed was done, the blood 

spent and we paid dear 

for the sins of us all. a 

collective sigh and

a small town 

goodbye.

.

Now, there are demons.

Hunters run among the leaves.

crisp, autumnal crunch…

.

Fiction © Copyright Angela Yuriko Smith
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com.

More from Angela Yuriko Smith:

Angela Yuriko Smith is an American poet, author and co-publisher of Space and Time magazine, a publication that has been printing speculative fiction, art and poetry since 1966. Together we build a poem as a community each month. Visit “Exquisite Corpse” at SpaceandTime.net to submit.

Catch up with Angela here!