Give Up
In a world as cold and cruel as this,
Purity, bravery, and selflessness aren't real.
People have surrendered and grown sick.
People have turned to sin and forgotten how to feel.
But not you Shi.
My dear, sweet baby,
You have stayed pure and strong and bright.
You've always been healthy,
It has been us that have been sick and have lied.
Now you know the truth.
It's your time to fly.
Just know that I didn't know I'd love you so much, but I do.
Now go and change the world for me, for us...
and never ever give up!
See
I have seen longing.
I see hate and despairing.
I will see freedom.
Blood and Stink
The ground is wet, and a bit warm too.
There's not much to see in terms of a bird's eye view.
Then suddenly, things begin to stir.
Little figures move in a blur.
They move swiftly,
Until they reach their destiny.
There, one by one, they start to sink.
Into a mass of blood and stink.
Hope
Where did this drive come from? Where did her ambition come from? Hope. In spite of all that had happened and in spite of all that was happening, she hadn't given up. Not yet. Nathan understood that now. For so long, he couldn't see why his daughter was so hotheaded and rebellious. What was out there that enraptured her so? But now he knew what it was. It was no true location or thing, it was the promise of something. It was hope. Hope for a life better than what she had and the willingness to pursue. That hope was what made her so different and so enticing. Where the rest of the world had surrendered, Shilo still fought. Even if the odds were against her, like now, she still had hope for a better life and was trying to find it. Nathan felt his old heart swell with love as Shilo stood between him and Rotti, between him and his demons. Even now, Shilo didn't know when to quit, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. She was certainly Marni's daughter. She was brave, kind, and enduring. She was everything good in a world that he had long since lost faith in. That was what made her revolutionary. Nathan saw it and he knew Rotti saw it too. Rotti saw that fighting spirit within Shilo the same way Nathan saw it: with fear, awe, and desire. They both knew such strength could not be controlled, for worse or for better. Then something occurred to Nathan. If personality was not hereditary and Shilo had only known him for her whole life, who had taught her this goodness and spirit? Somehow, he must have. Despite all the sins he'd committed, Nathan must have done something right because the fruit of his labor was right here, kneeling beside him. It was cradling him, loving him, forgiving him, redeeming him. And then, it was sending him off. It was hope. That tiny yet constant thing that, though overlooked, was never overstepped. Oh Shilo, I didn't know I'd love you so much, but I do…
Mag's Alphabet
A was for Ashamed, the feeling Mag felt whenever she looked in a mirror with the eyes that didn't belong.
B was for Blind, the thing Mag had been and was now realizing that she had still been all along.
C was for Chromaggia, the fatal bird that Mag had found herself becoming every day.
D was for Death, the thing that followed Mag always, yet never took her away.
E was for Eyes, the things that defined Mag despite her being so much more than just those two orbs.
F was for Friend, a thing Mag hadn't had since Marni walked through death's doors.
G was for GeneCo, the evil place Mag worked for. It was a gilded cage for a singer of lies.
H was for Helpless, the feeling Mag got whenever she realized she had just lured another sucker into his demise.
I was for Isolated, the feeling that Mag got when she realized she was the only one in the world who felt guilt.
J was for Joke, the thing upon which Mag's stage persona was built.
K was for King, the thing her boss, Rotti, claimed to be, but Mag would no longer play along.
L was for Lies, the things Mag told in operatic song.
M was for was Marni, Mag's first and best friend life.
N was for Nathan, the man who called Mag a friend and Marni a wife.
O was for Opera, the thing that Mag once loved to be a part of and watch turn real.
P was for Pain, the only left for Mag to feel.
Q was for Questioning, the thing Mag did in her heart but never dared do with her voice.
R was for Repo, the devilish practice she was forced to promote without a choice.
S was for Shilo, the goddaughter she never got to meet because she died with her mother, Marni.
T was for Terror, the thing Mag felt every time she was around Rotti.
U was for Ugliness, the thing that Mag saw while everybody else mistook it for style.
V was for Vengeance, the thing Mag found herself planning for all the while.
W was for Woman, the thing Mag wanted to become after being a cowering kid and playing a false part.
X was for X-Ray, the thing that could show Mag's physical heart, but never her true heart.
Y was for Youth, the thing Mag had in looks, but not in spirit.
Z was for Zydrate, Mag's glowing blue angel that took her peacefully from the stage of life into death's exit.
GeneCo's Alphabet
A was for Amber, the princess of GeneCo.
B was for Body, the most important cargo.
C was for Cure, the thing GeneCo provided so people could live at last.
D was for Death, the thing that, thanks to Rotti, was a thing of the past.
E was for Empire, the thing that GeneCo had become.
F was for Financing, the thing that let all surgeries/organs become affordable to anyone.
G was for Global, the organ failure and then the GeneCo cure had spread this far like an infection.
H was for Healing, the thing GeneCo did to ensure genetic perfection.
I was for Industrialization, the mark of human brilliance that made GeneCo such a 21st century cure.
J was for Jackpot, what anybody said when realizing that with financing, they could buy more and more.
K was for King, the thing that Rotti had become after founding his biotech empire.
L was for Luigi, Rotti's oldest sire.
M was for Medicine, the thing GeneCo had in spades and it could cure any disease.
N was for Nobility, what the elite of GeneCo's were painted as on TV.
O was for Operations, GeneCo had many that they performed, whether it be transplants or cosmetics.
P was for Pavi, Rotti's second son who was quite narcissistic.
Q was for Queen, the thing that GeneCo never managed to keep.
R was for Repo, the necessary, if unpleasant, role of GeneCo to stop an organ thief.
S was for Surgery, the main service that GeneCo had to offer.
T was for Tools, GeneCo had scalpels of silver and sedatives of sapphire.
U was for Upkeep, GeneCo made sure all their loyal patrons were always at their genetic best!
V was for Voice, the thing Rotti had in Blind Mag, the world's best singer who obeyed his every request.
W was for Warehouse, the place where the organs were kept safe and prices were amounted.
X was for X-Ray, after all, it was what was on the inside that counted.
Y was for Youth, with surgery and GeneCo, one could keep this for years and years to come.
Z was for Zydrate, the glowing blue drug Rotti invented to cure his customers and keep them returning for centuries on.
AN: The first poem is supposed to be a twist where the title is the opposite of the true message which lies within the last line of the poem.
The second is just a Haiku that can be told from any of the character's POV (though I was thinking Shilo or Mag).
The third was something for school that is supposed to be read either as maggots descending into a corpse or Zydrate Zombies looking for their next hit or scalpel sluts all rushing back to the operating table.
The fourth is more of Nathan reflecting upon Shilo as a person as opposed to being a poem. Call it free verse, I guess. Ha.
Fifth and sixth are both, as the titles entail, the lives of Blind Mag and GeneCo told through the alphabet. It was inspired by a YouTube video called Repo the Genetic Opera Alphabet Song, though my stories aren't supposed to be funny the way the video is. It's definitely worth a watch.