The Monsters Never Left

Atlanta, Georgia

The monsters never left

We systematically eradicated them all

The dragons,

The centaurs,

The giants,

And the dwarves.

Guardians of the wild places they were.

Their existence a warning,

They kept us at bay.

Still we pushed on

With swords and prayers

Tearing them down

Leaving a blank canvas

To the minds of our forebears

In their wake

Settlements turned to cities

And fears to fairy tales

What have we done

In their absence?

Commoditized

Everything.

Turned whole forests to subdivisions

Forced the earth to vomit up her black gooey dead

And set the world on fire.

Who are the monsters now?

Who will tear us down?