E. Hughes releases her final book of poetry, Digital Smiles (February 2024). Digital Smiles is written in both rhyme and free verse. The themes in Digital Smiles offers observations and sometimes criticism of society, how human beings engage each other on social media, the importance of time, death, and our responsibility to the humanity of others.

Disinformation by E. Hughes

Disinformation

is information of a most insidious kind.

It disguises itself as truth

to render us blind.

It preys on our fears

plants itself in our minds

rinse and repeat

two thousand and twenty times.

It provokes us to anger,

sowing distrust

spurring us to acts

of wanton bloodlust.

It is not what we seek, but often what we find.

Disinformation

is information of a most insidious kind.

An Inconvenient Sacrifice

Someone told us

about a disease

that spread itself

through a gentle breeze

or sometimes a cough

or even a sneeze...

and enters the lungs

through the air we breathe

left us yearning for loved ones

and much bereaved.

For some it left them

much aggrieved,

so we hung our heads,

and pretended it left

as it choked, grabbed

and stole our breaths.

The rich gets richer

the dead gets deader

we sacrificed little

to make it all better

An inconvenient sacrifice

let us hope it fades

until it drags us

into unmarked graves.