Donna Dallas

Evil is on the loose my friend

The world is on fire dear
come sit next to me and let’s
watch it burn
have no sympathy
we can at least
walk through flames
let the fire
scorch our soles
we deserve this burning baptism

lament over our sins
dredge up our treachery
as they roll out the war
in a stampede of hate

I want us to hole in
save food and water
build a bunker
there’s this noose
that attached itself to my neck
at birth
in case of emergency pull
this ripcord
straight to hell

who’s judging anyhow?
martyrs and militias
wrecking groups
the hostiles
the sign above our door says
‘Doom is in the bedroom’
a malingerer
sucks every breath

you don’t know about this do you?
run down the street in droves
I am afraid
not for me ever
but for my children
because when I nestled them
in my nook
and thanked God every day
for their little lives
I did not foresee
humanity unraveling
us back into the dark ages
as if every life does not matter
as if original sin could only affect
certain souls

but honey I tell you
there’s a pyre and I want to run
straight into it
if it would save my children
from this
I would gladly burn myself
to ash