Revolutionaries are overcrowding my Facebook feed: The constant calls to action, nonstop posts about nonstop injustices, illicit invitations to pick up arms and derail the system all hold a special place in my 2 p.m. scroll. If only they had Telefunken microphones to amplify their righteous voices.

sunny afternoon—
poodles bark incessantly
at the mailman

I am empathetic, sympathetic, and plenty down for the cause. It’s just that right now I’m holding a Red Delicious apple. Cupping the apple in my left hand while sliding my right index fingernail ever so slightly underneath its white oval sticker. Careful. Careful as to not puncture the apple’s skin nor crumple the sticker. If I do it just right, there will be enough glue left to stick it somewhere else. I have a tiny flap lifted, enough to grab the flap with my finger and thumb, cognizant of not pulling the sticker too fast so it doesn’t rip. Finally, I have it. It stands upright, gently affixed to my fingertip. The pristine white oval sticker reads, “Organic.” Funny, because it tastes just like an apple.

this moment—
the second I post it
it’s gone...

—Semi-finalist, KYSO Flash HTP Writing Challenge

Gabriel Patterson

lives with his family in Las Vegas, Nevada. He escapes the city’s neon lights by writing haibun.