Home
Young Writers Project
  • READ
    • Recent Posts
    • Daily Read
    • Recent Visual Art
  • YWP COMMUNITY
    • Tiny Writes
    • Book Club
    • YWP Podcast
    • Community Leaders
      • Community Leaders' Newsletter
    • Oh Snap! Online Open Mic
  • CHALLENGES & EVENTS
    • Weekly Challenges 2020-21
    • Community Journalism
      • Community Journalism Project
    • CONTEST: A Celebration of Trees!
    • Feb. 2: Presence and Possibilities
    • Jan. 30: Online Open Mic
    • YWP Calendar
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Anthology 11
      • Anthology 11 Podcast
    • The Voice
    • Media Partners
    • The Social Distancing Journal
    • The ELM - Edmunds Literary Magazine
  • THE VOICE
  • ABOUT
    • About YWP
    • YWP Newsletter
    • YWP is ...
    • Permission Form
    • FY19 ANNUAL REPORT & 990
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • LOG IN/JOIN
Previous Post
Next Post
May 15
poem 1 comment challenge: General/Free Write
joseph.deffner's picture
joseph.deffner

I saw a man today

I saw a man today

He had 

Confederate flags 

On his

Red truck

Boots

He had

A shotgun

In his hand

His face 

Didn’t portray anger

But to have 

Confederate flags 

On his

Truck 

And 

Boots

And to 

Be carrying 

a gun

He had to 

Be past the point of anger

His feelings turned to 

Hate

Hate

I feel it sometimes

Sometimes I want to slip into

The depths and

Stay 

But I know 

That is dangerous

Because hate

Is dangerous

Like playing with fire

I might burn myself

At any moment

This man

With the 

Truck

And the

Boots

And the 

Gun 

Burned himself

With the flame of hatred

But he is passed the point

Of Healing

More have been playing with 

The fire

Lately

Let’s just hope

We can heal them

In time

 
  • joseph.deffner's blog
  • Sprout
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted: 05.15.20
joseph.deffner's picture
About the Author: joseph.deffner
MSG / CONTACT
RECENT LOVES
  • The life we live
  • Looking at the Sky
  • Hot summer day
  • Relief
  • My Senses Guide Me
RECENT COMMENTS
  • Love this.
  • I really like this line,
  • Thanks Mary.
  • I really like how you circled
  • Sounds like a great trip. I

Other Posts by Author

  • The Deer
    One winter afternoon I was sledding with my family out on our hill. Read more
    in nonfiction 0 Comments
  • Panther Carnival
    It was a cold and windy day at TA (Thetford Academy). Read more
    in fiction 0 Comments
  • Indigenous Language Revitalization (And Why It Should Matter Now More Than Ever)
    Indigenous languages have been on the verge of extinction for decades. Read more
    in nonfiction 0 Comments

Discussion

Comments

  1. Yellow Sweater
    Aug 06, 2020

    This is so powerful. The way you spaced it adds to that power. I Like the chiasmatic structure. It feels like a well organized refined progression of thoughts.

    • Log in or register to post comments
  • ABOUT
  • DONATE
  • THE VOICE
  • YWP NEWSLETTER
​YWP  |  47 Maple St.  |  Burlington, VT  05401  | [email protected]  |  (802) 324-9538 
The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself. -- Albert Camus
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Google+ icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Vimeo icon
  • YouTube icon
  • E-Mail icon