We are always presented with choices in our interactions. Watch people, listen for inconsistencies in their actions, and respond accordingly for self-preservation. You have the power to control your emotional environment.
Power is contextual by Reena Saxena
I exercise choice
to act, but have no control
on others’ response
Pause, evaluate, respond
face consequences boldly
I Said Goodbye by Lorraine Lewis
I said Goodbye to
Hypocrisy dressed in white
Covering the black
Redux
shocking upheaval delivered unexpectedly
the heartache pounded harshly inward
internal distress burnt a tortuous red
a deep cut surrounded by a million small tears
the stress widened all the wounds
anguish and heartbreak followed
the future, unending and suffering agony
sorrow and grief dictated the next steps for survival
this daedal misery mimicked a slow death
love left in an upset heap
an untidy disarray of hurt
this…
this from someone who cherished commitment
Inspired by Sadje’s What do you see #141
“Get out of my house, whoever you are!”
“But Grandma, it’s me, your granddaughter!”
“Right! If you were my granddaughter you would know I’m blind!”
The strong breeze carried the seeds away after causing the dandelion’s stem to sway violently. Tears began to bleed from my eyes, producing liquid clouds hindering my view. This scene viscerally brought back a bittersweet memory, a sadly uplifting boon to my psyche. Yet, I wonder—when will I get my reprieve from the anguish of the past?
The tree branches above my head clashed together like the rhythmic grinding of my teeth masticating a small square of beef jerky. I watched the swift stream of the river as my conflicting emotions began to climb and tangle again.
Let it go…
young
everything in between and old
face challenges
because life is hard
wrestling with new circumstances
fighting off the elements
or facing our inadequacies
it’s all hard
the sweetness of a day
momentarily interrupts the savagery
nestle into those pockets of goodness
because life is nothing if not hard
accept the consequences of living
ride out those storms
and delight in the journey
but hold fast, there will be bruises
on a withered vine
handfuls of grapes still alive
in the freezing rain
***
cold weather cruisers
gunmetal gray clouds
ships above us
***
their beautiful baby
soon after the wedding
but who’s counting
~~~
Laurinda Lind is a former journalist/ current caregiver in New York’s North Country, near Canada. Some of her writing is in Atlanta Review, The Heartland Review, New American Writing, Paterson Literary Review, and Spillway. She is a Keats-Shelley Prize winner, and a Pushcart Prize, and Best of the Net nominee. This is Laurinda’s first feature on The Short of It.
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Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #237 – Zeitgeist
& Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Opalescence
the zeitgeist of the 70s
shimmering opalescence
of hope
springing forth
what we thought
eternal
now
powerful crusty men
attempt to dim our light
by deciding our future
i ache with a desire to fight
for and with my sisters
never in my lifetime
had i thought we’d be subjected
to this orchestrated control
forced upon us
our bodies
once again not our own
The internal and external forces of nature can be relentless in what they will dole out to us. Be aware, understand, and live as best as you can.
golden smoke blocks the sun as I stand witness
while winds shift to blow barging into planned days
and so…
I am listening.
What better offering could I make
while extending my reach to you?
My throat burns with an ache to howl.
As the people flee, where is safety now?
So many blue sky days
led us to false views.
We are all running from something.
walking away from something else.
I’m sending my love on the wind,
the force that both heats and cools.
Both helpful and harmful, depending,
contradictions of the mingled smokey fear.
Tangles of the unknowable
ringed history, as mystery
held by the forest guardians
now ash returning to soil.
As flames fly from tree to tree,
igniting compassionate hope or hatred
I see through the window
goodbye waves from living limbs of the still green.
and I feel your heat from miles away.
Weathering the storm of time by Sadje
ravaged inner space
unable to account for
entries and exits
who came, who destroyed, who left?
a soul transformed forever
~~~
The sands of time are relentless
The grains tumbling down without ceasing
What changes, what stays the same, it doesn’t concern it
Slowly the scenario changes, focus shifts
Lives are built, fortunes rise and fall
Time passes uncaring and unconcerned
Insidiously, it changes us all within and without
Redux
I
scream your
name with rage.
Mordacious words
escape my mouth. The high-decibel sound
waves of my hostile screams slam into the
walls. I’m seething,
breathing hard,
wrathful.
Hot!
Inspired by Sadje’s What do you see #140
fun times organized
too much for some attending
waste of alcohol
I Write Her 