Tag: lost chances

Story of a Gift

Casual, not too much so but better dressed than he usually did. A hoodie over a collared shirt and jeans, the sweat dripping down his back goes unnoticed in the sweltering cover of his layers. His hands shake while holding a present comfortably wrapped; not snug, not fit, just loose enough to open effortlessly. He’d walk the pavement with shaky steps and staggering in indecision and anxiety of seeing his muse. She was dainty; pale skin, bags under the eyes, hardly a touch of makeup from days of lacking sleep, yet he sees it all come together more than the sum of the parts. He’d say, “for you,” but it gets stuck in his throat; he’s speechless and overwhelmed from what beats in his heart. She’ll smile and take the present; she’d hug him thanks but he could not let out a sound. There’s indecision and anxiety and lack of time. He’d say, “goodbye, hope you like the gift,” and leave while looking back after every other step. They’d never talk again.
Na/GloPoWriMo Prompt

No Escape

The waters are flooding in and there
is no escape; the current is too strong
to fight and prevail. It’s hopeless and
futile; to have stayed until now was wrong.

When the water was low, that was the
chance to escape—to get out and save
yourself. But waiting and hoping someone
will do it instead—that’s foolish, not brave.

Now, it’s too late; the door had blocked
it before but when you opened it too late,
the water was too much and flooded in.
This day marks the end of your fate.

After Bridge to Terabithia

Personal joys come before fictional lands;
to be happy means to be so on your own
without the need to rely on other people.
There is also happiness in being alone.

It does not come through a magic rope,
nor through a kingdom you made up to rule.
It’s in your pursuits and in your passions;
until you realize perhaps you’ve been a fool.

When the rope breaks and kingdom falls,
you’ll find the currents washing it away:
with the queen gone and the king missing,
the joy you had when you went your own way.

A TV Show

We’ve had our ups and downs;
that’s how pilots go—and season ones.
We’d hold off the happy ending,
and leave some tension hanging.

For season two, we’d each have a lover
until one of us finds themselves sober:
that, for the other, they’d already fallen
and only waiting for love to happen.

Season three, they’ll become single
and try to move on but they’d struggle.
They’d go away, try to stay away.
They’d hope love will find a way.

And if the show ever gets cancelled,
so will they end up in farewells.
The happy ending that could have been
is left held off and never to be seen.

That Next Step

There’s a lot of great places to confess; for example, in the park, when you’re both hanging out and maybe having a picnic; or after watching a movie and using the momentum to let them know what you felt about them.

Another idea is to confess in a ferris wheel ride where they have to either say yes and the rest of the ride will be you two staring lovingly at each other, or say no and spend an awkward fifteen minutes together until the ride ends. That’s what I did; my best friend and I rode the ferris wheel, and I confessed when we were halfway up.

Continue reading “That Next Step”