The green store had a pot left outside by the entrance with a sign that said “free” on it. The plant appeared to be tired and a yellowish shade of green. A woman standing outside told me that Green had been brought to the shop by his previous owners who no longer wanted him. “He’s been in our store for weeks now,” she explained. “No one wants to care for an orphan Green, even for free,” she continued. I looked down at Green and felt terrible for his deteriorating state. He looked like he desperately needed care. And although I wasn’t sure if I was to care for a faded green, I had to bring him home with me.
Continue reading “Green”Author: palebluefragment
Gentle Bees & Grounded Trees
I walked farther than I had in a while, but on this calm day, everything around me seemed magical – from the streets to the trees, birds, and even the tiny daisies sprouting miraculously from the sidewalk. I walked until my legs ached and the hot summer air made me feel drowsy. Finally, I found a spot under a willow tree and laid down on my blanket. I watched as sporadic cotton pieces floated above on a blue canvas. And there was something bright and roughly circular that seemed to be emitting linear streaks. My mind grew foggy as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing – my best guess was a giant diamond. I put on my sunglasses, closed my eyes, and drifted off into a deep sleep. Time seemed to slip away, and I lost track of whether it had been minutes or hours.
Continue reading “Gentle Bees & Grounded Trees”Just a Memory
I haven’t yet learned how to keep my emotions under a mask. But there’s only so much we can do to keep our minds calculating and rationalizing things before we slip up. Humans are not robots, I remember you said. But I hope that small side of me will stay safe with you before you forget about me, granted.
October
October is my favourite month of the year. The leaves become crispier, the streets quieter, and an undeniable shift in energy takes over the city. Winding down comes naturally as the greyness of the sky tints the grass that was once vibrant and soft. Summer’s bright greens leave us feeling like we’re missing out on something, unsure of what that thing is. Yet knowing that the feeling of sun warmth on our skin is just enough reason to go out and find it. Then Autumn comes and moves us from looking outwards to looking inwards. It has a grounding effect, unlike any other season. Even more so for me, with my birthday being September 30th, turning October into the January of my year and filling my mind with so many thoughts and reflections on the past 12 months and the year ahead of me.
Continue reading “October”Mama Bird & Baby
I walked by two baby birds, one of them was clumsy and he couldn’t grab his food as easily as the other bird. I found the clumsiness of the baby bird funny. As I kept walking, I saw the clumsy bird’s mom. I jokingly told her about her baby’s clumsiness and laughed. She got angry and let out a hissing sound showing her sharp teeth, which I’ve never seen a bird show before. I thought that she didn’t understand my joke so I repeated it, but she hissed even harder. I then realized that my joke was not funny at all! Mama Bird didn’t like someone making fun of her baby. She also looked visibly distressed and sad. I don’t understand Bird language, and so it was hard for me to know what was going on in her mind.
Continue reading “Mama Bird & Baby”Edward Scissorhands
I saw Edward Scissorhands across the room and he was beautiful. I went up to take a film photo with him and we started talking. He told me that his favorite day of the year was his birthday and that he always takes a day off for his birthday, that his favorite season is Winter, that he doesn’t have a favorite color, and that he was born on October 19th. He told me that he hated New year’s Eve and thought it was overrated. He said that people just party and drink as if it’s special. I told him how I celebrate New Year’s Eve outside, ice skating and watching fireworks. “That’s nice”, he said. He told me that he worked online for a company abroad and that he’s quitting to take a two-month break. He said he was tired. I put my nail polish between his Scissohand fingers and started painting my nails while he sat and looked at me. He told me that I looked beautiful and I thought he looked even more beautiful but I didn’t get the courage to say it.
Continue reading “Edward Scissorhands”Neverland by Zeph
City Bird
City Bird was born in the city. He grew up on sidewalks and pedestrian roads and never set foot on grass. City Bird respected the city laws. He waited for green lights to pass and paid for his metro pass. City Bird was a modern soul, a fearless soul, an urban legend to be told. When City Bird flew he landed, not on street-lamp wires and trees, but on the finest architectural designs and on balconies with views for miles. He stood gazing at fast cars and fancy bars and city lights gleaming like stars. While the other birds ate bugs and worms, City Bird built shelters to protect moths from storms and grew leaves for beetles to feed their newborns. He was a strong bird, a proud bird, a treasurer of by-passers secrets and tell tales unheard. Strolling down the streets was his daily habit, wearing a shiny green scarf over a purple and grey jacket. With a courteous demeanor, he accompanied workers on their lunch break and thanked women who brought him coffee, bread crumbs, and cake. City Bird had feathery hands that hugged the wounds of aching hearts, and wiped the tears of dreamers whose dream fell apart. When leaves turned yellow and birds migrated in flocks, City Bird covered his four pink toes with handmade socks. He slept in a sky high building when winter came. City Bird was the city symbol yet no one knew his name.
Growing in the Valley
Our rooster’s familiar crow pulled me from my sleep. I buried my tiny limbs under the thick duvet my grandmother had sewn years ago. The sheep wool she stuffed inside provided my cold, languid body with the gentle warmth of a mid-July sunset. The heavy blanket pressed me down to a bumpy handmade mattress that rests on a bed made of a thousand springs. I closed my eyes to extend the night for just a little longer. I knew it couldn’t be for too long.
Continue reading “Growing in the Valley”Pain of loss
Emotional pain is a feeling that most of us experience at some point in our lives for various reasons. I think the worst emotional suffering any human can go through is the pain of loss. Whether it is losing someone we once cared for, losing a family member, losing a friend who occupied a big part of our lives, or most relevant to our digital present, losing a routine that revolved around tangible interactions, asserting the fact that we do exist as physical beings, not mechanical fingers typing on a keyboard. It’s the loss of a feeling of belonging to something that made us once feel like our existence mattered in this world, like we are noticed and valued, and like we can use our voices and expressions to communicate with others -an affirmation that we’re more than just numbers and codes and Instagram posts.
Continue reading “Pain of loss”