The best laid plans of mice and men— Are worthless then, now, and again. Man plans, God laughs; tides rise and ebb; For spinsters weave such gilded webs… The rain will come, despite his plans; Quakes will shake the toughest land; And though man tries to own his fate, A firm grasp of sand shall […]
Author: Sean Dempsey
The Interloper
By Sean Dempsey, 11/5/23 Who is this brazen Stranger—Who would DARE of freedom dream—To crave a land, of strife and sand,Be filled not with children’s screams? “Perhaps a stop to bloodshedMight slow the endless ring—Reveal God’s ken; we’re all still men!Let us see what love can bring…” But the Wisemen speak to fancy:“This war will […]
To War!
By Sean Dempsey, 10/09/23 Who threw the first punch? It matters not. But I DO remember Today’s killing shot. — Some time ago… After he pulled my hair I kicked his shin His teeth were bared When he hit my chin I pulled a knife And stabbed his old dog So he grabbed up a […]
The Storm
By Sean Dempsey, 08/08/23 Seven year-old Anna was sneaking on her tiptoes to avoid the cottage flooring from creaking as she slipped out into the frosty air of the front porch. She was up remarkably early, startled awake by dark dreams she couldn’t fully remember. The morning light was just starting to dispel the night; […]
Sisyphus
By Sean Dempsey8/1/2023 In ancient lands, where legends dwell,A tale of sorrow I now shall tell.Perceive the stone’s eternal path:To be pushed with mirth, or bathed in wrath. With futile toil, his bane and plight,Sisyphus still strives with all his might.See the stone escape his mortal hand,And tumble downward through the land. A cunning mortal, […]
The Dance
By Sean Dempsey, 07/27/23 Near dusk, the old man sat at a weathered table in the back corner of a busy diner, fumbling awkwardly with metal tongs used to crack his lobster. There was a gentle buzz of conversation in the air all around. It was nearly impossible to distinguish one conversation from another without […]
The Cage
Chapter 1: Minor Annoyances World War II wages in the unseen distance. In a battlefield far to the west, men fight and die. Men collapse in the mud as nations clash: But here, in the dark and godless corner of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Jacob lies in dirty rags on a metal cot. 4:18am, rising […]
The Bishop
By Sean Dempsey, 7/15/23 ‘The lives of the benevolent are perhaps the most besieged.’ The Archbishop of Cheshire whispered madly into the darkness as he made his way between foul-smelling passageways and across dirty streets. Hot tears fell from his eyes and he beat his fists against stone walls as he trudged — almost stumbled […]
Songbirds & Vultures
By Sean Dempsey, 7/15/23 The fact names like Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Oskar Schindler, and Harriet Tubman are famous and revered above others indicate their uniqueness in history. They are anomalies! Mankind is rotten and putrid to its core. The Third Reich was no fluke, nor were the conquistadors, […]
The Pastor
By Sean Dempsey, 7/2/23 The Pastor awoke from a violent dream, and realized he could not move! He desperately tried to will his legs out of bed. He begged his arms to raise from where they sat placidly against the bedsheets. His body lay completely motionless; only his head would yield to his control. Panic […]