Talking Heads

They said it was only climate change,

It would take a hundred years

To raise the temperature one degree,

It was easy to reverse,

But the weather pattern was changing

We could see that for ourselves,

And the strangest things were happening

But it only came in spells.

 

Torrential rain in the dryest state,

And flooding over the plain,

Blazing heat in the winter like

We’ll never see again,

The Ozone Layer had opened up

With the use of C.F.C’s,

And the burn effect of the sun increased,

Was causing more disease.

 

I told Joanne she should cover up

When she sunbathed at the beach,

You can lead a horse to water

But there’s some you just can’t teach,

She cooked herself to a golden brown

And the burn began to tell,

As the melanomas began to form

In her fragile, human cells.

 

She had a couple cut out, but then

Some more began to form,

But still she went to the nudist beach

When the sun came up at dawn,

‘I want to look brown and healthy

Not a pastey white, like some,’

And shook her head at the zinc cream

And the protection I put on.

 

The level of radiation was

Increasing with U.V.,

And even the whales in Summer Bay

Got cancers in the sea,

I warned and warned but she tossed her head,

In that stubborn way she had,

I braced myself for the future, for

I knew, it would be bad.

 

It started off as a scaley lump

On her shoulder, then it grew,

Faster than anything I’ve seen,

An inch, in a day or two,

I told her to get to the hospital

But she said, ‘I’ll use some cream.’

We little knew what was coming through

It seemed like a nightmare scene.

 

She sat in the sun again next day,

I said, ‘You’re tempting the fates!

Go and have it cut out, Joanne,

Before it gets too late.’

But the clouds rolled up and the sun went in

It was sultry still, not cool,

Then the lightning flashed around our place

And struck, in our garden pool.

 

It ran along our verandah rail

And it lit up Joanne’s chair,

While static electricity

Was crackling in the air,

Her hair stood out like a golliwog

Then her skin began to glow,

And that must have been the moment when

The thing began to grow.

 

The scab fell off in the morning

Leaving a hole, both red and raw,

And later, when she was screaming,

How to describe the thing I saw?

She stood in front of the mirror with

Her eyes so full of dread,

For up and out of the open wound

Had popped a tiny head.

 

The tiny head of a pygmy thing

That glared, with razor teeth,

With evil, glittering, crimson eyes

It was just beyond belief,

And then it started to babble in

A strange high, whining tone,

The only words I could understand:

‘You’d better leave me alone!’

 

Joanne collapsed on the bathroom floor

She had gone out like a light,

And I went straight for the cabinet door,

I was petrified with fright,

I pulled out the cut-throat razor and

I sliced it off at the neck,

But not before it had bitten me

As I dropped it on the deck.

 

I’m writing this final message so

The rest of you will know,

You’re going to have to cremate us

To destroy this so-and-so,

Joanne has five, and is terrified

While I have only three,

But we’ve sliced off more than a dozen heads

So far, God pity me!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

What a terrifying turn of events. The ozone layer,reacting to chemical pollution and other destructive elements are taking it's toll on everything living, or living upon. That being said, who would ever believe that tales of horror would become a norm. Weather patterns and climate changes, never thought to happen are about to destroy us ......and Monsters will surely survive on our flesh. Can we fix it....I don't know...My advise would be.....Don't save your "good" clothes for a special occasion!! Thanks Sir David, you raised the hair on my eyebrows.......Barbz

[TL Boehm]

wow! a horrific turn of events in this one - breeding little monsters - scary scary scary! A wonderful tale though. you always tell a fantastical story

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A prayer of sorts to be read and re-read aloud no doubt.

[Marie]

The first part of the poem read like Revelations. And The last was interesting--it made me think that one of the plagues which will descend might be the growing of tiny human heads...

This is vintage DLP; you're back ontrack again.

[R Smith]

haha i was just into the message about the harmful effect of the rays and you hit me with this mini horror story about what must be the dreaded sunburn devil, get me sun cream please, marvelous writing David :)

[Vishuddha]

Not quite your usual fairy tale! Very modern. Very timely. How did you manage to make such a gruesome idea into such a delightful read? With your usual aplomb you have again pulled amusement out of your magic hat. I applaud.
"Talking heads" ??!!?! You tricky fellow!

[Cambion]

This is something right out of the Twilight Zone. The visceral after-effects of reading it are somewhat dismaying. You lured us in with climate talk and then watched us step in your cunningly laid trap of nightmarish imagery. Thanks for the skin crawl!

[Valentine]

How scary, the youngsters in my family will have to read this. They love tales and movies like this write.
Perhaps Global Warming is here, we just won't be here to see when these little varmints attack. Great write Mate.. Kathie

[Tate Morgan]

Hahah we are sure in for it arent we? Well we only learn the hard way.

[MomzillaNC]

What a terrifying prospect…