An elderly couple catches sight of their daughter. There are long, long hugs. Mum hides her tears by straightening her daughter’s collar, Dad does the same by busily wheeling the trolley away. Daughter does not hide her tears, she lets them flow from wide-open eyes, but slows them by smiling tight-lipped at people in the waiting crowd. And the tears seem to be as catching as yawns; I am one of the grown men clearing my throat, my fist to the bridge of my nose. Then, recognising a shared emotion through the tears, we nod and smile at strangers. And then we all move in our own directions.
Moments
Did you fall in love?
Did you fall in love?
No, I dove.
angry sun whipped-up sea dusty wind
I
dive
deep
deep
down
lead-tipped arrow straight
the sand chills my hand
He threw a handful of seeds in the air
He threw a handful of seeds in the air and, with a popping cracking splitting sound, from each seed flew a butterfly, crimson or golden or blue. The children’s eyes widened as butterflies landed on their heads and shoulders. “Remember this beauty forever,” he said. ‘Forever.’
I had a playlist
I had a playlist
a playlist for life
until that moment late last night
when you shuffled me
Wind-kicked leaves
Wind-kicked leaves, red and golden, drift slowly down to autumn bed. The sinking sun touches horizon trees, is laced with branches and leaves us, leaves us a fire-shot sky of evening.
The houses call us – no, not the houses, home, the shelter. Hand in hand, our backs to the dying in the distance, we fade away to deeper darkness.
Dead People’s Stuff For Sale
I was happy when the furniture went, and the dusty, cracked ornaments. But I broke down when that guy bought mother’s false leg and teeth.
(Prompt from @CreativeReview)
A faraway girl sighed
Once upon a time a faraway girl sighed that she liked short stories, so, a long long way away, and we do not know how he heard her, a boy wrote a story for her. His stomach was full of butterflies, his chest churned like an over-full washing machine. He hopes she likes it.
After the thunderburst
Only eagles and adult kites could ride out these winds; and the kites with difficulty. The sparrows, prey, remain motionless beneath palm fronds, an occasional shiver and shuffle of feathers betraying their location. Slower than it had arrived with a thunderburst, the rain slows and stops, the wind calms and in the sudden silence birdsong begins to rise again. Now, before the heat sweeps back in, or the southern storm once more, now is the time to find peace, or make peace, or rest, simply rest.
A day at the sea, looking out towards Albania
sea horizon breaks
rose sun above snowed mountains
warms powder white sand
midday sun scorching
a monotony of waves
in shade sleep and dream
last swim draws shivers
last light falls behind the pines
love slowly sinking
Horseshoe
The youngsters were pitching horseshoes on the green. Dino’s caught the peg, caught, spun and settled. The boys stared as a rainbow shone up from where the shoe lay, up, up and down again beyond the horizon of the hills. As one, they stood and walked towards home.
simonsalento 