No real news without a shocking story,
Fed with details from a script,
With content bordering on gory,
That touches readers with a grip.
Headlines, of course, must shout,
Of crises and danger in our midst,
Some cataclysm is here about,
So hard a message to resist.
Earthquakes, storm, or a flying lizard,
To shake, drench, or be a meal,
With clouds of heat or a blizzard,
To which we dance a special reel.
But that news so soon is old,
Another crisis on the horizon,
Making the script again so bold,
As long as I am not too wizen.
Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.