CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

This week’s verse moves from a speculative verse about the future of April Fool's Day to a reflective poem about recovering from setbacks in life. It is taken from Another 365 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2019. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broken Days Leave the broken days by the road You cannot walk with a doubled load You cannot fly when your heart is bare And scored and bloody with no way to care You cannot mend when the old wounds drag And fester long, or when your spirits sag Beneath the weight of troubles old, And bad deeds for which there is no cure told Injustice, unfairness, things that cannot be fixed Or righted or mended, those injuries stick And all you can do is take one more step And leave them behind even though they affect Your days for far longer than they have any right Keep on walking

This week’s short story takes us from a far flung colonial world trembling at the threat of raiders to a near-future Earth-type setting where. Welcome to The Stars to Guide. When the stars told me my father would not return, my life changed—and my mother was not amused. The Stars to Guide (Extract) In the foothills of Monterey, I watched the stars, perched atop a jutting outcrop of rock that no-one else came to, by dint of the surrounding thorn bushes and rumours of wild cats. There were other outcrops, more attractive for picnics or canoodling, and easier to get to. This one was higher, and harder to reach, and the approach left pinprick holes and tears in both clothing and skin. I liked it, because it meant my brothers would not follow, and my sisters refused to keep me company. Mother had bid them watch me, ever since she caught me at the lookout at midnight, looking up, and weeping. “What’s the matter?” she had asked, and I had dashed

LAST WEEK, Simone and Delight were creating some trouble for the hidden FedExplore base they'd found . This week, Tiger is worried sick. Chapter 8 – Where Are You? Dear Simone Well, talk about a cliff-hangar. We got your last letter, and then nothing. I guess that’s not too bad a thing, given we had to go through the warp point, and there was no receiving anything while we were mid-jump. But, Simone… There was nothing waiting for us on the other side, either! I mean, no letter, no email, no nothing. What happened? Where are you? Did you get there? Did you get back? Have you even left? I am almost sick with worry for you, right now. Please get back to me soon. This ship is taking forever to make it to that moon. I didn’t realise it was so far in. We have to cross almost half the system. Can’t wait to see you. T. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------