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This story may contain sensitive material or discuss topics that some readers may find distressing. Reader discretion is advised. The views and opinions expressed in this story are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Vocal.

In The Crosshairs

a poem

By Matthew J. FrommPublished 2 months ago 1 min read
In The Crosshairs
Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

Two perpendicular lines intersect

a singularity forged

And there

At the point

Transubstantiation

The hunter becomes God

A target silhouette

A grazing Buck

A terrorist

A freedom fighter

A child’s eyes

All hang

By a fated thread

four to seven tense pounds

And at its center

The intersection of two perpendicular lines

A singularity

If you stare into the depths of that intersection

That singularity

Like seeing the ionizing glow

Of a lit reactor

Are you already condemned?

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A/N:

If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. My best stories can be found below:

artElegyfact or fictionperformance poetryProsesad poetryslam poetrysocial commentaryStream of Consciousnesssurreal poetryvintageMental Health

About the Creator

Matthew J. Fromm

Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.

Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).

I can be reached at [email protected]

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  2. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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Comments (18)

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  • Patrick M. Ohana2 months ago

    Indeed! Many of us are in the crosshairs.

  • Gabriel Huizenga2 months ago

    Wow - this is layered, brilliant, thought-provoking, and so masterfully worded. Seriously stellar poetry, man; I feel like I'll be reflecting on and finding gold in this one for a long time to come.

  • Marilyn Glover2 months ago

    Congratulations, Matthew, on your leaderboard placement❣👏 This is such a thought-provoking poem.

  • L.C. Schäfer2 months ago

    This is excellent, I am so glad it landed on the leaderboard!

  • Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊

  • Jamye Sharp2 months ago

    Very thought provoking.

  • Excellent poem… vivid imagery.

  • Lamar Wiggins2 months ago

    Nicely done, my friend. It’s like the hunter meets conscience and pauses to decide.

  • C. Rommial Butler2 months ago

    Well-wrought! No matter what we target, the singularity expands. Could we grow from that knowledge? It remains to be seen.

  • Those last three lines hit so hard. Loved your poem!

  • D. J. Reddall2 months ago

    This is a potent, finely calibrated poem. Well done, Mr. Fromm!

  • Sandor Szabo2 months ago

    Well done, man. Excellent control of pacing, I felt the tension before you even mentioned the pressure needed for a trigger pull!

  • "ionizing glow of a lit reactor" got me excited to watch Chernobyl again. Also, the opening lines of this song mean I have to share it here. No choice, it's written into the social contract: https://open.spotify.com/track/7ouSZGlGdhFjgbQpB7TZ1m

  • Raymond G. Taylor2 months ago

    Spare and satisfying, profound in its brevity. All that needs to be said has been said and so powerful. Well done

  • Paul Stewart2 months ago

    I always applaud the absolute brevity at play in short, but punchy poems like this. To say that this was for the hunt challenge, and feels as intense and shocking as it should, without the splatter of blood or gore, is a great testament to how far you've come with your writing. Impressed I am, to say the least. Well done, pal!

  • K.B. Silver 2 months ago

    Great job with this. I think the simplicity adds to the power. Instead of using gory imagery, you used more thought provoking language to great effect.

  • Judey Kalchik 2 months ago

    This is a disturbingly fresh and truthful look through the scope. Thank you for the warning. Even given that it was a gut punch. Powerful

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