The canal is bubbling with hubris,

the houses fail to turn out the lights,

afraid of the darkness

the people inside have orchestrated.

Walking beside the venomous, purple waters

my heart is heavy,

my freedom in jeopardy.

This town no longer values individuality,

opting for stringent symmetry.

The leaders of this town tremble

with ecstasy and fear,

bury treasure which was never theirs,

admiring the dirty work of their puppeteers.

Long ago, towns like this were a phenomenon,

not mystical or magical,

but treacherous and terrible.

Now, this town consumes all

swallows choice, chews hopes,

hate filled spittle.

 

The canal bubbles with hubris,

and people like us, truly are

on our own.

 

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Day 3 – Find the nearest book (of any kind). Turn to page 8. Use the first ten full words on the page in a poem. You may use them in any order, anywhere in the poem.

Book: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (highly recommend!)

The words: canal, the, houses, are, a, phenomenon, admiring, their, own, symmetry

Day 2 – Skin

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For the challenge, click here.