2021 Poetry & Storytelling Competition Volume 4 | Page 12

There’s a glow in the window of the house across the street where a troll has opened himself to the pull of algorithms.

They latch on to him the way demons whisper to kids with their souls open. They feed him what he is hungry for— someone to blame.

They could have led him anywhere – Isis, Black Israelites, Russian propaganda but he was raised on the blue soil of Appalachia where guns and religion determined your patriotism, and empty pockets leave a bitter taste on the tongue.

Who will pay? Everyone.

Radicalized 

Maria James-Thiaw