Archives

Spark of Fire

Sep14

I am the spark of fire

born from animosity.

I do not rue my birth

but transform into

a spark of hope

as I implant myself in

every child

who crosses my path.

I will burn in them

as a light of hope

and humanity,

till they pass me to others.

I will stay alight

with faith and joy

till the end of the world.

Hope

Aug13

dahlia-3678831_960_720

I stare at the ceiling, wondering if it is 1 or 2 PM. At the corner of the table is a kerosene lantern, not used for many years. I light it and walk into the night. The creatures of the night hush at the sound of footsteps, but the persistent buzz of a bee holds my attention. The bee hovers around a wild plant; an orange bud. The bud sleeps on, unheeding the bee’s buzz and noise. But, the bee does not give up. It sits on the leaves and bends towards the bud, shaking it. Suddenly, there is a loud hiss. It is not the bee, but the flower. It opens up to reveal a yellow inner part, further illuminated by the lamp. The bee moves home and rekindles in my heart the hope to live.

Dawn
orange bud blooms
baby’s first word

Freedom

Jul26

nature_charli

“Caesar doesn’t belong with us, Sal,” Clare said firmly.

“Don’t do this. He’d never survive the predators.”

“Don’t deer co-exist with lions?”

“Caesar is domesticated.”

“We are forcing him into domestication.”

“But we treat him as an equal…like a human”

“Humans are not chained. We should let him go.”

They had come to the dense part of the jungle. Clare let Caesar down. He licked her hands and wagged his tail.

“Nobody owns you now, Caesar,” Clare said, softly, “You are free.”

Caesar heard a howl from afar. He took a few tentative steps, then ran into the wild.

This was written for the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge.

Lina’s Blossom

Jul4

blossom

Lina looked at the aging blossom in her balcony, eagerly sucking up every drop of rain nature had to offer. The edges of its petals were dark and she could see small holes in the rose. But, it persistently held on. Lina did not know how long she could persist. She thought back to when she was healthy, young, and idle. Now she wanted to make everyday count, no matter how numbered her days were. Determined, she limped painfully from her coffee table to her laptop. Even the morose Robin of the Willow sang with unusual energy and vigor.

This was written for Charli’s Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge. The word prompt for this week is Blossom.

Tremble

Mar3

the-road-815297_1280 (1)

The clouds tremble in the folds of the sky, scattering droplets in all directions. An oak tree’s branches nod in sympathetic understanding. A few miles from the oak tree stands the rose bush, feeling no such empathy towards the rain. A young leaf suspends itself from the safety of the rose bush and jumps towards freedom, oblivious to the travails of the tough world. The entire rose bush shakes, having lost its newborn. The ever-hungry sea, a little farther away, trembles with desire, as it watches fresh raindrops. The new drops join the salty sea to make energetic ripples, awakening sleepy sea dwellers.

turbulence in sky

big clouds invade

a small cloud

Loyalty – Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge

Feb11

dog in daisies

“Wait here. I will be back,” he told me as he walked inside the house, coughing. He stumbled and I heard a loud crash. I wanted to check on him, but he had asked me to wait. I heard a voice sobbing softly. People came and left, wooden-faced. That evening, I smelled lilies and heard the wail of terrifying silence. Everyone from his house came out, except him. I knew where he was kept. Should I follow him? But, he had said he would be back. I waited in the garden, amongst the daisies. He always kept his word.

This was written in response to the prompt at the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction. Write a story to the theme “a dog in the daisies.”