Old Pep McGee
Was rusted
Glass cracked
LED shinning brightly
As the canvas of the tent
Shook violently
The campers playing poker
Absorbing every lumen
Of light they could
While Old Pep McGee
Thought she was bright as the sun
Though she wasn’t
Her batteries turning
Into acidic husks within her coils
Her light slightly dimming
Plastic pieces slightly melted
Yet she shone
Bright as she could
While her campers
Squinted down at their cards
The canvas rippled
Snapping the metal zippers
Awake
Clinking against each other
Faster and faster
As the wind howled
Like a hungry wolf
At the tiny glittering green tent
Crisp breaths filling the air
The lantern humming
Melting away
As a battery operated
Heater helped to keep
Cold hands
At bay
Until its batteries died
The group sighed
Curling up into sleeping bags
The lantern stayed on
Keeping the night
At bay
For all
Were afraid
Of the mysterious
Darkness whispering
For them to venture deeper within
While Old Pep McGee hummed
Until the starlit sky
Brightened
With the pink hues
Of a new day
She blinked off
To the hum of voices
Talking about coffee
-A.H.
About the Creator
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More stories from Ashley Houston and writers in Poets and other communities.
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH5 days ago in Critique
Comments (2)
“Her batteries turning Into acidic husks within her coils Her light slightly dimming Plastic pieces slightly melted” I feel like we can all identify with Ms. Pep Mcgee
I love how you gave the lantern such personality here, “Old Pep McGee” almost feels like one of the campers herself, loyal to the end. Thanks for putting a smile on my face today :-)