A Winter Night

I can feel my cheek tingling
As I press it against the frosted window
A blanket of snow covering my backyard
Tall, naked trees erupting from it.
The grass is silver, like delicate jewels against a white backdrop
The distant sound of chimes in the air
Fills my ear with unwelcome sounds.
Here I am, wrapped in my wool blanket
A steaming cup of cocoa cradled in my hands
It hurts to think of the poor souls who are out there in the cold
Freezing to death
Funny how I smile
At this hostile wonderland.....

That Window

There she goes again
Looking out that same old window
The grime now encrusting its sill
Dirty fingerprints peppering its pane
There she goes again
Crying at what she lost
So she looks out that window
Expecting him to appear
As if he’d be strolling down the street
and He’d give a friendly wave
As if everything was going to be ok again.
It’s not the nature she stares at
Or the misty fog settling over the hilltops
Or the subtle tint of sunlight on the delicate leaves
Staring without a purpose
The trees have been stripped of their lavish leaves
The sparrows, they don’t sing anymore
The grass is dry and it crackles beneath your feet
But, still,  she stares out that window
Praying for time to stop
So she doesn’t have to do this anymore
Distant sounds of bombs crashing
People screaming
Fire crackling
Gunshots ricocheting off of nothing
Buzzing around her like swarms
But still,
She stares out that window.
The ghosts of old memories
Fog around that window
Fogging up those old glasses
That she hasn’t removed since he left.
Same old creaky chair.
Same old scarf that she’s been knitting for years.
Same old scuffed up shoes on the carpet
But still, she stares out that window
Waiting for his return.....

"Imprisonment"

Cold Lank Floor
Stings me as I sit upon it.
Trapped in my own mind
Solitary confinement
It’s too dark in here
Too depressing
I must find a way out.
A window
Look at What little light shines through it
Perhaps that’s the solution !

“Class Dismissed!”

The words escape from my mouth before I can think of how to say them. I can hear the students grumbling as they grab their books. Sometimes, I wish one of them would come to talk to me. I watch them as they file out, one by one, like impatient ants. There goes Auburn. The quiet one of the bunch. Never speaks. Never smiles. She wears that same old expression on her face. Then again, she is the only one who understands any of the material we go over. I like that about her. Not a word but manages to get good grades. 

I wonder what her home life is like. I wonder if she's happy. All I wish is to fascinate these children by helping them learn the wonders of Physics. God, it sounds boring even to me. No use being vivacious when I don’t want to teach the material. No one thinks to ask about how I’m doing. The only time these students talk to me is if I mess up their grades. Over 180 kids. You should try grading that many papers in one night. I wish these students knew that my grandpa passed away last week. I wish I could talk to them. But no, I’m just a teacher who grades their work and supposedly prepares them for the future, when I know that 70% of these children will work in a 9-5 office job. Except for Auburn. She’ll go on to do amazing things.

"The Myth of the Sea Horse"

Ahe loved the ocean. She loved the way the sea breeze picked up her hair. She loved the way the soft, mushy sand felt between her wriggling toes. Most of all, she loved the wonders that the sea enclosed. One day, she dived into the waves and swam down to touch the coral; floating about in the water and marveling at the vibrant fish around her. As she laid her fingertips on the prickly coral, a small seahorse came flitting out of the seaweed Ahe marveled at the tiny wonder. Unable to contain her excitement, she swam out of the water, and ran onto the shore, flailing her arms as she sprinted to her grandmother, Casca. Ahe looked deep into Casca’s weary, brown irises, and asked her, “Grandma, I came to find a creature with a long snout and a tiny body. I wanted to catch it but it swam away from me. What is it, grandma?”

Casca looked up to her granddaughter and smiled, wrinkles forming around her lips. “Ah, my child. You speak of the seahorse. Come sit and let me tell you the tale of Kai’lio”, she said patting the ground, as she spoke. Ahe sat down on the warm sand rested her head on Casca’s lap, as her grandmother stroked her hair, running her fingers through its deep roots. Ahe closes her eyes, the sun warming the pair, as Casca clears her throat.

“Now you see, Kai’lio was a very handsome nymph. All the mermaids had an infatuation for him. His father was Kai, King of the Sea. Kai’lio was almost as handsome as his father, however, after his mother’s passing, his father had sworn to never love again. Kai’lio, though with all his admirers, had only one lover. Her name was Nani. Nani was the most beautiful sea nymph.”

Casca paused and looked at Ahe. “Just like you, my darling!” Ahe giggled to herself. Casca resumed. “All the others would be jealous. Kai’lio was quite the fortunate guy. Nani’s mother, Huhū, was very strict. She forbade her to see Kai’lio. Nani, being the naive juvenile she was, went to him anyway. Huhū interrogated Nani by using her magical power to see through her, discovering she was pregnant with Kai’lio’s child. Huhū banished Nani from their home, and Nani was left wandering the reefs to find her Kai’lio. There was one nymph who was very in love with Kai’lio. Her name was Lili. She would do whatever she could to entice Kai’lio. That night, Lili came to Kai’lio’s home and pleaded for him to love her. Ignoring his resists, Lili started seducing him. As Nani approached his home she saw Lili getting close to Kai’lio. 

“Grandmother, why is Lili so mean?” asked Ahe. her wide curious eyes begged for her grandmother to answer her question. 

“When people want things they can’t have, they become angry and selfish,” Casca replied.
Ahe nudged her Casca’s knee. “Go on!”

“Okay, little one.” Casca laughed

“Nani fainted, clutching her stomach. Kai’lio heard her and broke free from Lili. as he rushed out of his home. Nani had turned cold and hard to the touch, her kind heart no longer beating in her chest. Kai’lio knelt beside her body as he lay his hand on her stomach. Lili loomed above them both, as Kai’lo held Nani’s hand, which could no longer hold him anymore. She attempted to grab Kai’lio’s hand but he hexes Lili to get sucked into the ground, and she turns into lava. Kai’lio’s tear falls on to Nani’s stomach, and he feels a sudden burden on him. He gets up to lay down in his bed, but trips and falls, piercing his finger on a spike of coral. From his finger, bursts thousands of tiny creatures, flitting into the darker sea below. Nani’s lifeless, glowing face illuminates the dark sea around her. For one last time, she smiles for all the ocean to see. Her body wilts into the sand and what’s left of Nani is a clump of sand. The tiny newborn sea horses swam over to the sand clump and started playing in it. Little did they know that these were the remains of Nani, the one that Kai’lio could not have. “That, my child, is the tale of the Sea Horse.”

Casca took a handful of sand and sprinkled it onto the ground, as Ahe watched her. “The foam in the waves is the spirit of Nani and her unborn child.” Ahe ran to the shore and cupped her hands as the water flowed in. She ran back to her grandmother, as the water seeped out of her hold and had fallen into the sand. 

Casca chuckled when she saw this. “Ah, now Kai’lio and Nani have finally reunited.” Ahe spotted a white shell peeking out of the sand and ran to pick it up. She dusted the sand off and clutched the shell in her hand, as she ran over to Casca, now getting up and smoothing her white skirt. Casca holds out her hand and Ahe places her small palm into it. Ahe skips along with her grandmother and says, “What other wonders can we find in the sea, Grandma?” Casca chuckles and says, “There are many, my child. Each one has its own story.”