The factions went to
war, and thousands upon
thousands died, my wife
and daughters included.
I escaped. And I
settled in Spoon River.
Factions war here, too.
Mostly with words and not
bullets or fire.
Mostly. But words are first,
and they poison the
mind and the soul. No hand
has ever pulled a
trigger or set a blaze
without the control
of a mind awash in
words. My days in Spoon
River were peaceful. But
the conflagration
will come here soon enough.