Cycles are off and the world is spinning,
A never ending journey on an infinite loop.
Over and over, the trials keep replaying
And won’t stop till the lesson is learned.
Swiftly turning, faster and faster,
Each day passes quicker and quicker,
with less time, less opportunities to change.
So we struggle just to keep up
And worry the world will pass us by.
Until one day, there is no more.
Can we go, run away, from these expectations?
Maybe just steal a moment in time once more?
Find our way to a grass field among the peaks,
Spread out a blanket, and nestle in close.
Watch the clouds drift in front of the moon,
And seek out constellations in the stars.
Let us lose ourselves, just for one night.
Sleep in each other’s arms, find some peace
Before life has to invade once again.
Thoughts on an unknown diagnosis…
Some relish in not knowing the future, others dread it, while some have perfected living in the now.
Just get out of your own head is easier said than done. Keeping busy, finding distractions, filling up days with things to do and people to see is great.
Test results come back, so onto research. What could it be, so many scary things. What can I change, what can I do? you ask yourself over and over.
Sometimes you just need to know.
But then, night comes. Have you filled your day enough for your head to hit the pillow and fall asleep? Or do you lie there, staring at the ceiling, the wall, your partner, and the window, wishing for the gears to stop turning, the thoughts to stop churning. Fears take over, for the future you may never get to see, or a future filled with dread, and fear that you may never get to sleep.
But finally, sleep does come, albeit from exhaustion. The next day slogs on, achy and tired. The question is, when will it end?
The bottle rolled onto the beach, waves pushing it further ashore. High tide receded as fast as it came, leaving remnants and the bottle behind. Crusted over with barnacles and coquinas, the bottle waited to be found in the powder.
A lone woman strolled along at sunrise enjoying the quiet morning and the birds. The sea left a smattering of treasures for her to comb through as the beach came to life.
She paused as she saw the familiar shape reminiscent of an olden bottle of rum. She scooped up her treasure from the depths, brown glass and aged to a dull patina, and she admired it.
She settled on a nearby fallen palm, and inspected the bottle further. She noticed a cork tightly wedge in its mouth.
Could it be the ubiquitous message in a bottle?
Gently she pried it open and looked inside. A parchment rolled up and a couple coins were stowed inside. She tilted the bottle and pulled out the parchment.
In shaky calligraphy, the note read:
To the sea I cast my wish,
With a letter and two six-pence,
One day my true love, let her find,
And bring my face to her mind,
See me in this life or the next.
And do not let our love be vexed.
Forever more yours,
The last line had blurred, making the name unrecognizable. The woman smiled to herself.
What a find, indeed!
She stood up and gently placed her find in a tote. She looked forward to discovering more from her treasure’s history.
A little house cleaning is sometimes a must,
Now, I’m not talking rounding up dust.
There comes a time to purge and delete,
And battles with emotions to defeat.
Removing images that make one sink,
And all those things causing one to overthink.
But still some things will always remain,
Parting with them causes too much pain.
Suzy woke to the sound of her phone’s alarm. She looked over, expecting to see Steve, but he was long gone.
She sat up and sighed, then looked around her suite from the bed, then reached to pick up her phone. As she did, she saw a note on the dresser.
Dear Suzy,
Tonight’s my last night here. I hope you can join me for dinner downstairs just before sunset.
See you then,
Steve
Suzy smiled to herself. Of course she’d have dinner with him.
Just as she laid the note down, a knock pounded from the door. She jumped from the bed, startled, and grabbed her robe as the rapping continued.
She hollered out, “Just a minute!”
The knocking stopped as she opened the door. Mark pushed into her room. “Is he here?”
Suzy looked at Mark with a glare. “What do you think you are doing?” She growled at him. “Get out!”
Mark, satisfied Steve wasn’t in the room, walked back to her. “You need to watch what you’re doing.”
Suzy pointed to the door. “Out!”
Mark stormed out of her room. She locked the door behind him, then broke down. When will he let go? she thought to herself.
After a few minutes, she gathered herself and started getting ready for the day. It was going to be a long day at this rate. At least she had the evening to look forward to.
The team was gathered around. Mark was mysteriously missing. Suzy was relieved she was getting a brief breather from him.
Melissa looked up with an odd look on her face. “Mark bowed out; said something came up. Are we ready to head up the coast?” Her tone was flat and the team looked tense.
Suzy shook her head along with the rest of the team. They piled into the two vehicles and drove to an expansive stretch of beach dotted with boulders and steep cliffs.
The beach was not too crowded so the team set out to get filler footage and photographs. Suzy pulled out a collapsible chair and sat down, working on a script. Words were not coming to her, so she paused and stared at the ocean.
“Hey! Earth to Sooz!” Melissa waved her hand in front of Suzy’s face. “You in there?”
Suzy jumped then shook her head. “Yeah, just having a time with this.”
“Mark got to you this morning, didn’t he?” Melissa stated. “I told him not to go; he wouldn’t listen.”
Suzy closed her tablet and looked at Melissa. “He needs to stop. This is the last job I will work with him on. Why does he feel he needs to oversee all the women? It’s not like we ever had any kind of relationship or anything,” she rambled.
Melissa gently laid her hand on Suzy’s arm, “He’s protective…and you remind him too much of his own daughter.”
Suzy shrugged her shoulders in resignation. “But, I’m not…” and her voice trailed off.
Hidden away in the catacombs under the fortress lied an old obsidian and marble box. Inside it lay the Earl’s most treasured jewel, a garnet and diamond encrusted tiara meant for his one true love.
He hid it deep in the catacombs to keep it safe from the Queen; she could never know of it. She would take it and make it hers if she ever did.
Through missteps and mishaps, the Earl and his true love headed out on separate paths, but never did they forget. Neither had an easy life, but eventually everyone moved on. The Earl met a lovely woman who became his bride, but he couldn’t present her with this tiara, knowing in his heart it belonged to someone else.
An age passed and the Earl and Countess raised a lovely family. But the Earl still missed the one from his past. He decided to check on the tiara, to ensure it remained secured. So he snuck away in the night and wandered the catacombs to the hiding place.
He moved away the stones which blocked the hidden recess where the box sit, and gently pulled out the box. It was covered with cobwebs and dust from the ages. He blew away the particles and opened the box.
In that moment, he crumpled to his knees. Before him on the velveteen covered interior was no tiara. He gasped and with wide eyes looked in horror. How could it be gone?
He laid the lid bottom side up, then realized a piece of parchment was folded and tucked into the recess. In fine calligraphy, the outside read “Earl Whitney” in blood red ink.
He removed the thin and aged parchment, then carefully unfolded it. Inside, the letter read…
My love,
Although for now we weren’t meant to be,
I know you had this made for me.
So away I take it and now I flee,
But always know I love thee.
Should you find yourself one day free,
And if I may be the same hopefully,
I hope you find me walking Leffis Key,
XX
With the letter in his hand, tears burst forth from his eyes. The Earl dare not show such emotion in sight of others. His face however, smiled, for now he knew. Knowing for now would have to do.
He removed a small token from his finger and laid it inside the box. He would return here every few weeks and leave her something more each time.
Finger-like branches reach to the sky
Hold up the glowing orb in the night
Rays pierce through to the forest floor,
As dried leaves crunch underfoot.
Glowing eyes in the distance blink,
Suddenly everything freezes still
Water from a brook trickles by,
And finally, the beast turns and runs.
Stepping closer, a trail of stardust floats,
And settles to the ground. From it blooms
A beauty so bright in the moon’s light,
Flowers in gentle lilac and yellow.
She stops, kneels, and breathes it all in.
If only for a moment, she finds peace.
The night grows colder as the hours wane.
Whirring of the refrigerator fills the silence.
Eyes grow tired staring at a backlit screen
Occasional scraping of a mouse echoes.
Work never ends in the world today,
Rare is the weekend open to just play.
The shift from 9 to 5, once the daily grind,
Is now replaced with always on, 3-6-5.
Are we burning candles at both ends?
Will we soon run out of wick?
Hopefully we can recharge somehow,
But we better make it quick.
Let me slide on some thigh high knit socks,
Curl up on the sofa in an over sized sweater
And serve me a cup of warm cream tea.
Kiss my forehead before you lay down,
Then rest your weary head on my lap.
Share your secrets with me, tell me all,
And watch how much in love I fall.
Dawn Renee Writes 