That Long Hot Summer

 Tanka Tuesday #247


 prompt words: twilight and hue (synonyms only)

I opted to use a synonym of the old use for "hue," that in "hue and cry."  This was the legally required shouting of bystanders to assist in capturing one witnessed committing a crime.  It now means, according to The Free Dictionary, "A public clamor, as of protest or demand:" with the example, "raised a great hue and cry about political corruption."  "Hue" is thought to come from the Old French word, "huer," meaning outcry or clamor, making "hue and cry" a redundant expression.  Enough of that,  here's my offering, a tanka prose.

Tedder, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

A person can only take so much.  Everyone has a point, one point, when the single proverbial straw breaks the camel’s back.  In our case, that break came one evening last summer.  Not with a straw, but with yet another plea ignored.  Then hell broke loose.  

the sky bruise purple  

when public outcry gained voice

the half-light failing

battle in the streets began

a war no nearer to end 

 

©2021 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved


Comments

  1. I love the line: sky bruise purple. Thanks for your blog visit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. Thanks! It actually took a different turn in the end.

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  3. My first thought was "hue and cry" for some reason. No telling what our brains jump to. Thank you for interesting prompts.

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