So the rules are simple. Write a poem or flash fiction and incorporate these five words:

SUN / BOOK / ACT / STAND / WAR

Because I’m a sucker for the style, I chose to follow the structure of a villanelle. Here goes my entry:

The Wolf Who Cried

the wolff who cried ‘mentally unstable’ and more
now at the center of fire and fury and fact
it’s not the truth the listener wanted. not the story, not the lore

opinion vs. truth, perception vs. reality, words at war
a burning under scrutiny: a spotlight brighter than a sun at direct eye contact
the wolff who cried ‘mentally unstable’ and more

he who hears, hides in lies we’ve heard a thousand times before
this ‘very stable genius’ who never thinks, who only acts
it’s not the truth the listener wanted. not the story, not the lore

what other horrors are sure to lie in store?
an aberrant enterprise to no one’s surprise goes on to attack
the wolff who cried ‘mentally unstable’ and more

bleached white houses can’t hide a corrupt core,
can’t silence a book published, can’t go back and redact;
it’s not the truth the listener wanted. not the story, not the lore

when the audience won’t stand up for reason, and falls to the floor
at the mention of obvious treason, we as a people suffer a lack.
the wolff who cried ‘mentally unstable’ and more
it’s not the truth the listener wanted. not the story, not the lore

Jessie Gutierrez

PS: Yo! So you can find the original prompt for The Secret Keeper here. Check it out =)