Fantasised Future by Abigail Christine Carlton (Lucent Dreaming Issue 9)

Once upon a time…

Scales of man-made monsters twinkled against the moonlit sky
taking on the simultaneous forms of clouds and of stars.
Winged counterfeit chameleons lurked above
our heads, huffing and puffing smoke trails behind them like
breadcrumbs. machines mimicking mighty beasts of legend
reduced
to man’s overseas driver.

The grass,
permanently one inch tall, is wolfed
down by bony bunnies before they hop down
their manholes, wheezing words from their sunken throats,
“Oh dear! Oh dear!
I shall be too late!”

Mermaid scales searched the ocean,
for little pockets unpolluted by plastic. They race against the waves
of plastic straws in a bid for long-forgotten freedom.
Mermaids enjoyed collecting,
but that was before
lost treasures turned into littered trash.

A creature drowning in fur, horns sprouting from his head struggled
to find his beauty, trying to find
the right angle; one photo to determine
his fate among the women of the online dating scene.

A child dressed in green soared through the air.
He reminisces about the last time he visited London,
before he collides with a buzzing drone,
confused at how big the bees have grown over the years.

Sitting by the bar, a petite man guzzled down pint after pint.
Ladies swarm around him as he whispers sweet
lies to lighten the evening. The ladies know
that they are lies, his ever-growing nose a giveaway,
but sweet lies are better than horrible truths, they believe.

Blondie’s bed lay empty year after year.
Her parents are on a pedestal as they search for her, her endless
hair plastered on every front page. Until
the blame for her disappearance turns
to them.

A ginger cat wore a hat and boots,
tries to run, hisses, scratches
at the owner forcing him
to pose for their Instagram page.

…and they lived happily ever after.

Buy issue 9 today.

Lucent Dreaming is an independent creative writing magazine publishing beautiful, imaginative and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from emerging authors and artists worldwide. Subscribe to Lucent Dreaming now, support us on Patreon and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Abigail Christine Carlton – a poet born by the sea in Kent – currently resides in Leeds with her abundance of cat plushies & anime figurines. She started writing during secondary school before going on to complete a BA Honours in Creative & Professional Writing as well as an MA at Leeds Trinity University. She has previously published a poem in The Loudest Whisper by United Press. She perfected her writing nook with a PC & printer, a blanket, soft cushions. She actually does most of her writing tucked up in bed with her laptop and notebook.
@AbigailCCarlton | @abigail.c.carlton