Compelled to stir the ashes, of what was cruel, what was unadorned. And still I reach for those extinguished minutes and years, and walk into the smoke, shoulders broke, bending to grief’s provocation, aroused by what could have been.
Elani was the most gifted of us, but it was hard to watch her subtract herself from happiness. She was the good girl, the kind girl, the quiet girl who leaned into the shade of a river birch while others swung from ropes and imprinted the water with their thrashing bodies.
She was not destined for great things, and she did not pursue them. The current ran deep, and she found comfort in her aloneness and sandpapered memories. She had no quarrel with pain. She reconciled it as the great truth of life, and saw strength as a punch in the belly, holding back the yelps, damming the tears behind waxwork eyes.
Ordinary Handsome 
She might prove to be even more complex than she appears….
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Might be. Thank you for reading. 🙂
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Compelled to read …
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Thank you. 🙂
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Beautiful writing, Steven. I love your words.
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Thank you, Diana. I appreciate your generous encouragement. 🙂
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she’s good
so far, Steven 🙂
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So far. Thank you. 🙂
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An outstanding character study, Steven. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you, Suzanne. 🙂
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You really do have a crazy gift for the descriptive, Steven. You always pull me in…even when I don’t feel like being pulled in lol. Love this. Don’t ever stop. ❤
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🙂
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Good to see you. How are you feeling?
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I’m okay, taking care of myself every day. Thanks for asking. 🙂
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