by Ti\u2019ana Sage (art by Kaitlynn Robinson)<\/strong><\/p>\n My mind was racing from what I was facing\u2014 As I burst passed the droid in my escape from the void\u2014 I passed through the streets\u2014into the throng\u2014 Tears streamed down my cheeks\u2014it was insane\u2014the blood\u2014the twisting pain. Then she disappeared, that sister of mine, I remembered screaming to my parents \u2018why?\u2019<\/em> When she disappeared, that sister of mine, I vowed\u2014 My fear had finally evaporated in the run. I entered my room, the curtains drawn from the city\u2019s glow. My baby sister. They took her wrists and I\u2019d tried to scream, but my voice had repeatedly failed. It\u2019s been ten years but I\u2019d found her. All through the morning I\u2019d clung to her image\u2014 Now I am. Each generator said to be fueled by the sky\u2014 If it weren\u2019t for them\u2014my sister, per say\u2014 The rain had stopped and I donned my gear. On the streets they do not know, what it is I intend to do. Coming, I\u2019m coming\u2014\u2028<\/em> It\u2019s just a door inlaid in mud, a mile or two out of town. I grasped the latch and thrust it up\u2014 Ice cold claws then clutched my hand\u2014 They began descending after me\u2014I scrambled rung by rung.<\/p>\n Repeating\u2014repeating what she\u2019d said to me\u2014 \u201cBrother help me\u2014I see you dear… <\/em> She didn\u2019t know I was coming back for her. \u00a9 Copyright 2019 Ti\u2019ana Sage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cognizance by Ti\u2019ana Sage (art by Kaitlynn Robinson) My mind was racing from what I was facing\u2014 \u2014tripping\u2014slipping\u2014as I flew through the night… If I\u2019d only known\u2014If I\u2019d only been shown\u2014 \u2014a breath of relief as the city came into clear sight… As I burst passed the droid in my escape from the void\u2014 \u2014my…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[949,937,582,529,581],"tags":[1354,984,967],"class_list":["post-7817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ozarkfinearts","category-ozarkwriters","category-sotoarchive","category-sotoart","category-sotofeature","tag-kiatlynn-robinson","tag-tiana-sage","tag-writers-artists-night","category-949","category-937","category-582","category-529","category-581","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7817"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7848,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7817\/revisions\/7848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2014tripping\u2014slipping\u2014as I flew through the night…
\nIf I\u2019d only known\u2014If I\u2019d only been shown\u2014
\n\u2014a breath of relief as the city came into clear sight…<\/p>\n
\n\u2014my thoughts continued to race.
\n\u2028How do we not know about what\u2019s below?<\/em>
\nMy heart out drumming its pace.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014crowded despite the rain.
\n\u2014The lights all around bore a burning glow\u2014
\n\u2014powered by\u2014powered by\u2014well they didn\u2019t know!<\/p>\n
\nSince we were young, we never had questioned.
\nWe\u2019d frolicked amongst the brain.
\nHow was it made? Well, we didn\u2019t know, how carefully we\u2019d been trained.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014I gasped at my door\u2014
\n\u201cI found you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\nI\u2019d found her.
\nWorking there, toiling away in the heat with little water and meat for her bones.
\nI\u2019d found her.
\nClawing at the dirt in her cell when her shift was done.
\nI\u2019d found her.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019d found her.
\nCurse these walls which keep me warm! These lights powered by her\u2014<\/em>
\n\u2014I\u2019d found her.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nStolen at the age of four after a questionable incident.
\nI was 10.
\nI saw three beings dressed all in white, their eyes glowing blue like every light<\/em> and droid<\/em> and machine<\/em> in the city…<\/p>\n
\nThey took her wrists and she screamed and screamed, I remember it so well detailed.
\nThe brutality of how they\u2019d grabbed her, was not like any drone.
\nAnd they hadn\u2019t seen me then, and I\u2019d never shared what I\u2019d known.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019d woken from a dream.
\nI\u2019d dreamt she was near\u2014but not quite here\u2014
\n\u2014she\u2019d said \u2018nothing is what it may seem\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014thinking\u2014thinking\u2014unsure and scared.
\nI knew it wasn\u2019t mind trickery.
\nI knew I had to be prepared.<\/p>\n
\nI stared out my window over the city streets.
\nThe rain sparkling from the lights.
\nThis electronic world full of deceits\u2014
\n\u2014these people blinded to the plights.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014was nothing\u2014was nothing but a terrible lie.
\nThey are trapped down below in a starless night.
\nThey oil every cog and gear in sight.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014this city would never have existed today.
\nTheir sweat and their blood sacrificed for this place…
\nThis place of control, of bloodied up grace.<\/p>\n
\nI am a city guard.
\nI strapped my taser to my side\u2014
\n\u2014masked my face\u2014attached my card.<\/p>\n
\nShe will be freed and we will flee\u2014
\n\u2014to start our lives anew.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014\u201cI\u2019m on patrol.\u201d<\/em>
\nI lied to the droid at the gate.
\nIt nodded its head and I carried on, my heart an abnormal rate.<\/p>\n
\nIts latch all rusted\u2014wire surrounded\u2014
\nIt isn\u2019t guarded\u2014it\u2019s not beaten down.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014dirt crumbled far below.
\nA dark abyss radiating heat\u2014
\n\u2014I began my descent\u2014my fear began to grow.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014I looked up to a droid\u2019s blazing eyes.
\nI shook it away and continued further with haste\u2014
\n\u2014a whirring noise erupted above\u2014more droids threw away their disguise.<\/p>\n
\n\u2014her words in my head sung…<\/p>\n
\nDon\u2019t leave me here alone. <\/em>
\nDai, help me, save us here,\u2028<\/em>
\nO how the darkness\u2019s grown…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\nShe didn\u2019t know I\u2019d try\u2014
\n\u2014try to take her from this hell.
\nTry to return her to the sky.<\/p>\n