Battle Scars #Poem #AmWriting

Photo credit: Nicolas Raymond via Creative Commons
Photo credit: Nicolas Raymond via Creative Commons

They came for me

With sticks, stones and barbs.

They cut me to the flesh

Deep, raw and painful to the core.

In agony, I waited for the pain to subside

Thinking at the time that it would never, ever leave.

Some days it took hours,

Other days it took but minutes

For the skin to grow back

covering up the open wounds, but leaving

the scars behind.

 

To them I was easy prey

For I never struck back.

Every time they hit me harder

I would retreat further into my shell.

Shielding myself from the blows that fell

I curled into a foetal ball, seeking comfort

In the cocoon of my self.

 

Quiet, but made stronger by my ordeal.

 

As time went by

I learnt to deal with  the blows.

I learnt not to place myself

In the midst of the battlefield.

 

Instead, off to the side stood I

And watched the blood flow on the ground.

Shattered by the meaningless wasteland,

I shuddered at the weapons that lay spent.

 

In our world these battles are real

The scars that words leave

Are there for few to see.

 

But if you can take a moment

Just a second to

Pause

Think

Reflect

And then reply

Imagine a world then

Where the scars fade

Because there is nobody left

To cast the first blow.

 

There’s you

There’s me

And there is a world between us.

 

In that space

There is a point called the meeting ground.

Let’s make the battle scars

A thing of the past.

 

~© Shailaja Vishwanath

 

Wish- #AtoZChallenge @AprilA2Z

#Wish #AtozChallenge #Notegraphy #FlashFiction

I wish you leave behind a gold coin.

I wish you come in satin slippers, so I can admire them.

I wish you come tonight, because I’ve been waiting a long time.

Emma turned and looked at Nancy. “Do you think she’ll come tonight? I made all these wishes from the bottom of my heart.”

Nancy smiled, helped Emma into bed, tucked her in and stroked her hair. ‘Emma, I’m sure she will. Did you put the tooth under your pillow? We don’t want to delay the Tooth Fairy when she is out on her nightly duty, now do we?’

Smiling, Emma replied in the affirmative and rolled over to her side and fell into a deep sleep.

Nancy looked to make sure she was sleeping comfortably and gently opened the door to let herself out. She looked up to see Dr. Raj on his  rounds.

“How is she doing?” he asked Nancy.

‘Seems to be okay, Doctor. The dementia does seem to be getting worse though. Tonight she thought she was a child waiting for the tooth fairy.’

Sighing, Dr. Raj said, “Well, that’s not surprising, given her health. Keep an eye on her, will you? She’s one active 80-year-old, considering everything she’s been through.”

~~~~

A-Z Challenge 2015

My theme for the Challenge this year is

Alternate Angles

A2Z-BADGE-000 [2015] - Life is Good

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Variance- #AtoZChallenge @AprilA2Z

Variance

Sashaying into the bar, she headed straight for the stool next to his, dropped her clutch on the bar and said, ‘One gin and tonic please.’

Her jet black hair framed her perfect face as she turned and smiled at him, saying, ‘Hi, I’m Meera. Do you come here often?’

Suresh went promptly into his imitation- of- a- goldfish routine, his mouth opening and shutting wordlessly. Meera grinned and squeezed his arm. ‘Nervous, huh? Don’t be. I’ll help you out. Just answer my questions. All right?’

He nodded, air returning to his lungs. You can do this, he told himself.

‘What’s your name?’

‘Suresh.’

‘What do you do?’

‘Accountant.’

‘What are your hobbies?’

‘Trekking, Cycling and Reading.’

‘Oh lovely! I trek too! We should do it together!’

Suresh just nodded, a smile slowly forming.

‘Let’s see. Favourite authors?’

‘Douglas Adams and Jeffrey Archer.’

‘Crime and Humour! I think I like you more’. She winked at him. A warm glow enveloped Suresh. The light-hearted Q and A continued and Suresh felt his confidence growing. After 15 minutes, Meera slapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘Why don’t you take my number and call me some time?’

Suresh could hardly believe his ears. Fumbling, he fished into his pocket and took out his phone. Eagerly he looked up but Meera’s face had changed.

‘On second thought, I just remembered, I have another engagement.’

Suresh just gaped. ‘What? Why? When?’

Sighing, Meera looked at him and said, ‘Sorry, boss. I don’t date men who have a ‘Hello Kitty‘ cover on their smartphones.’

He thought of telling her it was a gift from his 8-year-old niece, but merely nodded and said, ‘Yes, I don’t think we’re meant to be.’

~~~~

A-Z Challenge 2015

My theme for the Challenge this year is

Alternate Angles

A2Z-BADGE-000 [2015] - Life is Good

Follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin’, Twitter,

WordPress Reader or by e-mail (links in sidebar)

to be updated when I publish a new post.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate you stopping by 🙂