CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

This week’s verse moves from a fantasy poem about loss and revenge to a fantasy poem about a ghostly queen. It is taken from 366 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2018. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   In All Her Finery, the Queen In all her finery, the queen floats above the marbled floor, floats above the blood that stains in a slowly spreading flood. In all her finery, the queen lies in dishevelled disarray, her trust betrayed, violated, murdered on her wedding day. In all her finery, the queen floats above the marbled floor, takes herself through the thrice-barred door, into the hallway to her rooms. In all her finery, the queen lies in dishevelled disarray, her gown and petticoats sliced and torn by the beast that took her husband’s place. In all her finery, the queen floats along deserted hal...

This week’s short story takes us from a far-flung future of human exploration and alien encounters to one of quiet apocalypse. Welcome to Ducky. Three characters, a dead duck, and a plague-devastated city. What more could you ask for? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ducky is available as a stand-alone short story at the following links: books2read.com/u/mda0d4 . You can also find Kristine Kathryn Rusch's latest free short story over on her blog: kriswrites.com . Why don't you go and check it out?