Russell Nichols
Please Don't Make Charlie Black
and it was so.
all because Roald Dahl's agent
wrote those words in
response to his original
manuscript.
those five desperate damning words
like skeletal fingers
ripping the golden ticket from
the boy before he even had a chance
to breathe.
before he even had
a chance to sniff the chocolate
river deeper than his soul
could grow.
but o, what could have been?
for this boy to be
one of the lucky ones
to see a pure imagination factory to see
how to manufacture a fantasy candy-coated
to be the one to break
the mold he didn't make.
but Black Charlie was murdered
by a five-word plea
and there would be no other
opportunity for him to swig fizzy-
lifting drinks or lick wallpaper or hold
a gobstopper made to last
longer than the boy could ever
dream of.
and it was so.
all because Roald Dahl's agent
wrote those words in
response to his original
manuscript.
those five desperate damning words
like skeletal fingers
ripping the golden ticket from
the boy before he even had a chance
to breathe.
before he even had
a chance to sniff the chocolate
river deeper than his soul
could grow.
but o, what could have been?
for this boy to be
one of the lucky ones
to see a pure imagination factory to see
how to manufacture a fantasy candy-coated
to be the one to break
the mold he didn't make.
but Black Charlie was murdered
by a five-word plea
and there would be no other
opportunity for him to swig fizzy-
lifting drinks or lick wallpaper or hold
a gobstopper made to last
longer than the boy could ever
dream of.
Bishop Tried to Told Ya
to be or not
to be Black from the future
days blow right past
and every blast cannot be absorbed
and every knee will not bow
for those who die on their feet
in the red glare of rockets
and every tongue will not confess
that you are a prophet channeling kinetic
energy to remedy the hunted
from being hunted--
in a plague-infested world,
how do you keep your enemies closer?
how do you keep from seeing
your mutant mug on a poster, marked slain
or apprehended?
how do you keep keepin on
as sentinels target and take aim as intended, spewing
plasma from open palms? and nobody
wants to heed your forecast
but i will i will i will i will
in effect
be / cause
to be or not
to be Black from the future
is a miracle with a capital M
to be or not
to be Black from the future
days blow right past
and every blast cannot be absorbed
and every knee will not bow
for those who die on their feet
in the red glare of rockets
and every tongue will not confess
that you are a prophet channeling kinetic
energy to remedy the hunted
from being hunted--
in a plague-infested world,
how do you keep your enemies closer?
how do you keep from seeing
your mutant mug on a poster, marked slain
or apprehended?
how do you keep keepin on
as sentinels target and take aim as intended, spewing
plasma from open palms? and nobody
wants to heed your forecast
but i will i will i will i will
in effect
be / cause
to be or not
to be Black from the future
is a miracle with a capital M
Russell Nichols is a speculative fiction writer and endangered journalist. Raised in Richmond, California, he got rid of all his stuff in 2011 to live out of a backpack with his wife, vagabonding around the world ever since. Look for him at russellnichols.com