Poem: "The Reality of Cruelty"
This poem is spillover from the December 4, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from librarygeek and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "sunshine" square in my 12-1-18 card for the Summer in December Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool run by ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the Officer Pink thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Those Who Have Suffered," so read that first or this won't make much sense.
WARNING: This poem contains some disturbing topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features spooked centaurs, racial issues, keloid scars, self-harm scars and numeric tattoos on a Jewish centaur, reference to running away from junkie parents, human trafficking, vindictiveness toward abusers, reference to human trafficking via allegedly-therapeutic camp, exhibitionism regarding personal trauma, Holocaust references, history of slavery in America, past chemical warfare with accusations of genocide, probable infertility, use of magic in mad science, existential angst, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.