Ice

Ice maiden, ice warrior, ice princess: names signifying distance and threat. But yours were the hands that staunched my wounds.

Horse

I do not mean anything. I am a horse. A solid mass of muscle, hoof and bone. I am not a symbol. I am a horse. Muscle, hoof and bone.

We are never a horde.
We are never a swarm.
We are never a rising tide.
We will never cause others harm.
We are we and we are best.
We are we.

They walked from the foot of the hill to its head. Nobody had told them the volcano was still live – and then the mouth

All that is left of the old city wall is a brass strip in the road. People fought and fell for this line. I step on it each time I pass.

As I walked through the low doorway, a bird quacked. I looked down and hit my head. The bird looked up. “Me,” it quacked again.

I caught the paper plane as it glided past. Confused, I unfolded it & lay it flat. The pencilled letters were stark: “Let me fly”.

I missed the 8 so got on the 9. Then, I understood numbers better than bus routes. Close numbers don’t go to almost the same place.

Jon looked down. His ring was missing from his hand. So was his finger. Then, with the pain, the memory flooded back.

-If the holes in the net were smaller, we’d catch more fish.
-But they’d be too little, with no meat. It’s the same with ideas.
-Oh.