| Dateline: 7 December 2021 ~ The Ways of the Holiday |
| The scent of fresh gingerbread and peppermint lingered in the air as Thea trudged into the cozy library, her boots weighted with snow from the hectic storm behind her. Lifting her eyes from the ground, Thea observed the space around her. From the lights glittering on the walls to the spread of cookies on the front desk. She dragged her shoes on the carpet to rid them of the now melting snow, as she was greeted by the librarian with a warm smile, "Anything I can help you with today, hun?""A blanket maybe," Thea joked to the kind lady. Thea was never the type to willingly open a book, catching her in a library was even rarer. "I'm just here for a shelter from the storm.""It is pretty surreal out there, huh?" The librarian peered out the window, which proved her point.Thea laughed. "That's an understatement." Thea had planned on doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, but she knew better than to drive in this weather."Let me know if there is anything I can do for you." The librarian smiled. Thea pondered what she would do until the storm wore off, but came to a dead-end, knowing there was no chance she would pick up a book.Thea walked around examining the small space, trying to find something to catch her eye. She came to a stop at the computers and decided on studying for her next exam. After a slow 20 minutes of practicing Algebra equations, Thea turned her head to the window hoping for a sunny view but was instead welcomed with the same gloomy snowstorm.Thea let out an exhausted sigh as she stretched back in her seat, wishing for the weather to clear out, but the storm clouds told no end. Willing herself not to, Thea stood up from her chair and started browsing the shelves. There were so many books to choose from. Thea felt like she was drowning in them, so it became clear she needed to ask the librarian for help.As Thea approached the front desk the librarian asked again, "Anything I can help you with, sweetie?""Yeah. I am hoping you can give me a book recommendation. I'm not usually a reader, but I am desperately bored," Thea vocalized as her eyes drifted to the nameplate clipped to the librarian's shirt, Laura. Thea chided herself for not noting it sooner.Laura beamed. "I'll be right back, I have the perfect book." After a few minutes of Thea awkwardly waiting, Laura returned with a book in hand. With a gentle smile, Laura handed Thea the book which read Little Women. With a thank you, Thea walked to a small nook with comfortable chairs, unlike the one she sat on earlier. Seated, Thea opened the book to chapter one. She read and read and read, something she thought she would never find herself doing. Time sped by as Thea kept her nose in the book, finding a new joy in reading, and before she knew it the sun was outside shining and the sky was clear, a cue to get on with her day.As Thea left the library she contemplated the events that put her here and although she wished for the storm to go away, she found herself disappointed by her departure. Just a few hours ago Thea was more than reluctant to read a book, but by the force of the holidays, Thea's mindset had completely changed. She would call it a Christmas miracle. |
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| Lost Stories |
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My head is filled with words
Filled with stories
Stories that demand to be told
To be taught, to be preached |
The stories in my head flow
Branching out, intertwining with other stories
Like the complex silk structure of a spider's web
Creating new and stronger versions of itself |
I want to write
Write all of these stories down, so they can be
Told and taught and preached, but
The words won't leave my head, won't
Allow themselves to be repeated onto the blank page |
I want the world to know my thoughts
My words and my stories, but
My mind goes blank
As blank as the page before me |
The cursor blinks, waiting and waiting
Waiting for me to think
But the words never come
The stories never leave my head |
I want to write
Write of all the beautiful and lovely things
Write of all the vicious and barbarous things
I want to write all of the swirling thoughts in my head |
But the swirling won't stop, similar to a tornado
Taking down everything in its path
As my mind swirls it takes my thoughts with it
Turning them into memories of ideas, of words, of stories |
So I don't write
I sulk, waiting for a spark
Waiting for a story to put itself back together
But a broken mind cannot mend a broken story |
So my stories go untold and unseen
Far away from reality, far away from life
Eventually dissipating, leaving my own mind
Leaving me blank, with no thoughts
No words, and no stories to tell |
| From Marshall Writers' Guild 2022 Anthology, © 2022 | | |
| Dateline: 18 November 2021 ~ It Comes With the Job |
| I leave the hospital, drenched in my own sweat with tears soaking my face. I can't complain about it though, I signed up for it, it's my job. Being a nurse is difficult, but the bills demand to be paid. So as I walk down the dark street to the train station, I contemplate the events I encounter as a nurse. On multiple occasions today, I was puked on, spit on, even peed on. But once again, it's what I signed up for. I'm used to the mess of my job, but I will never feel comfortable with the gross remarks made by patients.My eyes well with tears the more I think about it. When I get to the train station it's crowded and I'm sure I won't get a seat. Entering the train confirms this, so I take a hold of the ceiling handles and plant my feet. But my body is sore, and I can barely stand. Tears threaten to trickle down my cheeks, but I manage to keep it in."Ma'am, why don't you take my seat," Says a younger woman, who must have sensed my pain and discomfort."Thank you so much, you don't understand how grateful I am," I thank her, tears once again threatening to leave my eyes, not out of pain or sorrow, but out of relief. A kind gesture, yet small, kept me from breaking down."No problem," Is all the woman says before taking her stance in the row. The train ride seems to go by fast, as I have little energy to keep track of time. The train steadies to a stop, signaling my time to get off. As I get off the train, I turn to thank the kind woman again. She probably thinks I am crazy, she did the bare minimum for me, but in that moment the bare minimum was everything. |
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