Member-only story

Hope is a thing with blasters

A Star Wars poem about more than Star Wars

Jay Sizemore
1 min readMay 4, 2020
Photo by Phil Shaw on Unsplash

Outside, men are being shot in the back.
Deputies are pulling pistols instead of tasers.
Their weapons are not set to stun.

When I was six years old all I cared about
was swinging a tobacco stick
and humming through my lips

the noises a lightsaber would make.
The birds circled overhead
like TIE fighters in formation.

Outside, someone says “fuck your breath,”
while a man bleeds to death,
his incredulous cries winnowing to rasps.

I watch the new Star Wars trailer
on a work break, and suddenly I’m six again,
rolling in the grass, dodging blaster fire from birds.

I remember how Jedi could deflect lasers
with their palms and their faith,
and for ninety seconds, I knew

no bullets would hit their targets.

--

--

Jay Sizemore
Jay Sizemore

Written by Jay Sizemore

Provocative truth teller, author of APNEA & Ignore the Dead. Cat dad. Dog dad. Husband. Currently working from Portland, Oregon. Learn more at: Jaysizemore.com.

No responses yet