soul entropy
breaking news 1: CHEMICAL EXPLOSION, 1969

This is the 1st in a series inspired by news reports. I was a pupil sitting in my Grade 6 classroom just down the hall when it happened.
“12 Pupils, Teacher Injured in North Van School Blast” –The Sun, February 26, 1969 (Vancouver, B.C. ) No, a piano had not just tipped over, as some other kid guessed (what else in that innocent time?); the brutal jar of the concussion was no mere wrong note in the melody of the day. Pianos don’t choke hallways with smoke, discordant wails, blow craters in linoleum, or wither to grey a teacher’s face. No, this fuse, lit by unfledged chemists, test tube babes wanting a flare up, needing to cross the swaying threshold, potassium chlorate and phosphorus waltzing sweetly on the other side, requires a greater dispensation. Gone for half a century, the fire brigade, ambulances, ministries to the maimed, the blinded, counsel to the aggrieved: what strain, what formula now for grace, forgiveness? To know the measure of soul entropy— lifetimes of regret burning down.



You've flashed us your past to illustrate the unpredictable and explosive nature of life on this planet.
The balance you’ve struck between two contrasting destructive forces—explosion and entropy—is brilliant. This is a wonderful piece.