Paradise

Contributor: E.S. Wynn

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I see a man in a tent
grimy, grimacing
blinking against the unending rain.

I see a man growling,
grumbling at the tourists
who won't buy the chocolates and trinkets
that make him the money
he needs
to eat.

I see a man scrabbling
for scant streams of wifi
desperately checking for the letters
that will never come
the letters that mean
a home
a real home
and a car
and a life
as soft
as sweet
as the one he once had.

I see a man peeling
his last greasy bill
from a worn wallet
as he remembers a sense of home
as he remembers a sense of hope
he once had.

I see a man--
a man I could become
if I stay in this place
if I do what it takes
to survive
day to day
in this hell
called paradise.


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E.S. Wynn is the author of over fifty books in print. During the last decade, he has worked with hundreds of authors and edited thousands of manuscripts for nearly a dozen different magazines. His stories and articles have been published in dozens of journals, zines and anthologies. He has taught classes in literature, marketing, math, spirituality and guided meditation. Outside of writing, he has worked as a voice-over artist for several different horror and sci-fi podcasts, albums and ebooks.