Guardians Of Atlanta 35
(The Lights of Madame Jemima)

Cyrus left Uncle Andy’s trailer,
Not much said and not much gained.
But one lead led her to Madame Jemima.
She determined this talk would not be in vain.
She had her suspicions about Uncle Andy,
but none of them could be proved.
The purple tent was just up yonder,
and Cyrus’s will would not be moved.

The lights of Jemima glittered
inside of her purple tent.
But Cyrus was not a quitter.
No, she was persistent.

Once inside Cyrus coughed.
The smell of incense was strong, but soft.
The rest you’d think would be cliche;
a wise old woman worn by decay.
But no, instead, a young black woman
sat there by her table hummin’.
Jemima: “Welcome,” she said with a hushed tone.
“Welcome to Cyrus, the human Cyclone.”

The lights of Jemima glittered
inside of her purple tent.
But Cyrus was not a quitter.
No, she was persistent.

Cyrus: “How did you-”

Jemima: “Know your name?
I’ve done this for years. By now it’s a game.
You come seeking revenge for one that was lost.
You want information, but at what cost?
Cyrus, this carnival, it’s on edge.
It’s all but ready to fall.
No one can be trusted. No, not one.
But soon you must make a call:
The mysterious or the suspicious.
One you’ve met and one you’ve missed.
In a circus act, you must hit your cues.
Now go, I have paying customers, shoo!”

The lights of Jemima glittered
inside of her purple tent.
But Cyrus was not a quitter.
No, she was persistent.

Cyrus began to protest, but then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowy figure atop one of the tents.

Hi I’m Joshua, and I’m resurrecting Epic Poetry for modern nerds like you! If you’d like to support what I’m doing, you can buy The Great Phantasma in Book, eBook, Audiobook, and other formats here! (Coming Soon!)

If you’re strapped for cash, you can still help out by sharing this tale with your friends in-person, text, or on social media!

To continue reading…

← Click here to read the previous poem!

Click Here to view the table of contents for this episode

Click Here to view the table of contents for this season

Click Here to view the table of contents for this series

Click Here to read the next poem! —>

(The next poem may not be available yet.)