The Lego Killing Fields

Recently I got the chance to stay

With an old friend

His house is a bizarre urban wonderland

With an actual tortoise 

I got to pet

I highly suggest

If you get the chance

To have that experience

My friend Casey is clever

His wife, Keli, is like beautiful fire

So smart

She burns through words the way I do

We had many delightful

Verbal sparring matches

That no one won

I was happy there

But the best moment at this

Unlikely utopia

Came gently

Subtley

Casey and I joked as I asked him

If he remembered what I considered

Our first conversation

He said hello to me and used my name

I looked at him with confusion

And with a tone dripping with frustration

Sounding far too much like a curmudgeon 

For his young age

He said

I have been sitting behind you

In English class for six months

Oh sweetie

I said

My weak apology

And from then on

Through the years

Although we lost touch

My affection for

The oddly sweet curmudgeon 

Never faded

There was a day when I was nervous

My mind going too fast

Too many things

Too many thoughts

Just too much

Casey gave me a glass of water

And I smiled

My mind did not improve

The day went on

My mind snarling anarchy

Until Casey simply asked 

Wanna play legos?

Usually I would have refused 

I would have dwelled inside myself

That day I said yes

And like small children

We dumped legos on the floor

Laid on our bellies with our ankles up behind us

And Casey built cool things

I, having no mechanical skills

Made things that immediately fell

Apart

We laughed quietly

We talked quietly

I started to find lego people

And give them back stories

Then I dismembered them

We laughed even more

As I built them a graveyard

Propeller head man was our favorite

I don’t know how long we did this

It felt like hours

Hours of being a kid

Hours of having quiet, short

Conversations

That meant more than we knew

And when it was done

The swirling vortex in my head

Had quieted

The anarchy was harmless

I was ready for that day

Because Casey gave me the

Best gift

So few people can do it

Make me feel small

Make me feel quiet

Make me

If even for a moment

Let go

And I needed it so desperately 

That stormy day

I never said thank you

I didn’t know how

But I write this saying

That sometimes the best present

Is a complex curmudgeon 

Too intelligent

Constantly striving for positivity

That wants to play with legos

The Probability of Faith

Roll the dice

Goddess of your own creation

Human of inherited failings

See how long the luck holds out

Why not?

We were blessed with resiliency 

If nothing else

But wait

What of faith?

What of breathing through the day?

What of believing in…

Anything 

In yourself?

The world is not a catastrophe child

Life is not a constant battle 

Fiery youth

Trust is a possibility

Shhhhh

Give the stillness a chance

Let it grow

Let these sides of you

Like the many numbers on a die

Rest

What of belief?

Today just breathe

Kira Burton wants you to see this Amazon.com

The Thieves of Fate https://www.amazon.com/dp/153778210X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_EfujybMWRKTQ9

You can order a physical book or kindle version above but if  you would like a signed copy or one of the beautiful prints drawn by  James Burton II please conact me at iconoclastgrey@gmail.com

My first short novel Thieves of Fate is a psychological tale with moments of horror that envelope you like a nightmare, themes of identity and consequence that send the mind into a spiral, and scenes of very human dark humor in the form of wit and sarcasm that help you whistle past the graveyard.

The protagonist Jack is a legend in his own mind even if he has no idea who he is and as his story progresses he is growing more fearful that he is losing what little grip he has on reality.

Jack spends half his time in the Territories Psychiatric Hospital and the other half in places and memories that he cannot be sure are real. And yet the more he visits these places that his mind says are only dreams and these memories that a voice in his head says are false the more he starts to wonder where the truth really lies.

He meets a cast of characters. At Territoties they are other patients, therapists, psychiatrists, and orderlies. In the other places he meets supernatural beings called Thieves that look like children but are absolutely not. And there are more things in the other places. Things that Jack does not understand. Things that Jack is scared to understand.

When I created Thieves of Fate I went imto a dark alley and roughed up Greek and Christian mythology taking what I wanted and leaving the rest. I added what odd bits of allegory and indiscriminate eavesdroppings of lore that I could pick from the pockets of superstition and black market beliefs.

So no matter where Jack is or who he meets he is never quite sure who is trying to help him and who is trying to hurt him. At times he is even forced to wonder that about himself.

Jack’s story is one that will leave you unsettled. It is a story that always has a new secret to reveal but never tells them all. But if you are willing to see it through to the end you will find that it has a pulse, it has a beating heart. What you find within that heart is up to you.

Which truth is the honest one? Which reality is real? Who exactly is Jack? Not even I can answer those questions… but you can.

Thieves of Fate was written by Kira Burton. My other published work is Spilled Ink a book of poetry that you can find on lulu.com and will be coming to Kindle soon. Spilled Ink is a book filled with honesty and vulnerability and you will find certain pieces in it that appear no where else

Thieves of Fate was ilustrated by the incredible artist James Burton II. Creator, writer, artist for the amazing  superhero comic with a twist Damage Inc. Character driven and unbelievably fun Damage Inc is worth reading. He has also worked as a collaborator on several other comics. He is currently  working with SCATTERED INC. Check out some of his work at Angrybrainartworks.com In 2017 James and I will be collaborating  on The Ballad of Nod, a breathtakingly beautiful comic that brings together dark fantasy and children’s dream worlds. With incredibly vibrant, complex story telling and rich, vivid visuals Nod brings to life a child’s dreams and nightmares in such a way that will make you want to return again and again no matter what age you grow to be.