Content Warning: Description of violence, destruction, murder


The World Outside My Window

Photo by Raychel Sanner on Unsplash
Photo by Raychel Sanner on Unsplash

When I look outside, I see green. Trees, grass, plants. I see my neighbour’s gardens. Calmness, quiet, peace. The world at ease. The perfect refuge.

The world beyond is bleeding. People rioting. Statues being toppled. People being killed for the colour of their skin, from 5yr old to 70 yrs old. It doesn’t matter.
Swastikas being sprayed, having no other meaning than anarchism.

The clouds are gathering outside my window. The butterflies flutter more sporadically. Birds swoop in to pick their worms and return to their hiding places. The neighbour’s kids are screaming, fighting with each other. Curtains are pulled close, sun shields are taken in. The world is growing darker.

The world beyond is burning. Youngsters make fires in the middle of the road. They throw rocks and fireworks at the police. Respect is nowhere to be found. Destruction is all that matters. Who cares anymore? Consequences are lost. No more common law: the law of the fittest is what rules.

When I look outside, I see a storm raging. Darkness, hale, thunderstorm. For now, I can hide inside my room, but how long until is is torn down? Without respect, without common law, without decency? When will they breach my door? Will the birds return? Will the butterflies go back to their fluttering? When will peace return?


11 Comments

  1. This is a powerful piece Liz. I feel almost like the anger, disbelief and discontent with the way things are is starting to come out for people. Perhaps we no longer want to contain it. ?

  2. Strong, powerful and thought-provoking piece, Liz. I read it twice, and it evoked some mixed feelings in me, feelings of despair, but also of hope. Maybe we need to go through these bad times to come out better on the other side?
    ~ Marie

  3. I believe that all this turmoil is a precursor to positive change. But if you are in a really bad place, come on up to Canada. There’s turmoil here too, but it is still far more peaceful than our neighbour to the south.

  4. Nice snapshot of this moment in history. Mankind has been here before and seems to come out better at he end. Like a forged blade tempered and annealed. Heat to give strength, the a long gentle cooing to give back flexibility while retainsIng the temper that the heat drew.

  5. I hear ya – right from when I wrote my part of seven days in lockdown at the beginning of April I have feared what is to become of the world. I still do – I try and hide inside my mind and hope and pray the outcome will be good – eventually – but i fear all the same
    May xx

  6. Pingback: Prompt #430: Frame it - Wicked Wednesday

  7. Pingback: Epiphany: Liz Needs Her Vitamins * Liz BlackX

Comments are closed.