by Christian Ward
Every shell is dipped in night.
Place an ear against the ceramic
to eavesdrop on fox squabbles,
crows watching rubbish bags
left split open like unfinished
operations, brambles unfurling
their fruit. Humans, extras
with no dialogue. Open every
shell to reveal day – the glazed
pottery, a perfect sky. Of course,
there’s the meat: An orange muscle
on a ready-made plate. Quiet,
contemplative. I threw up the sea
the first time I tried it. Didn’t know I was chewing its prayer.
by Ivona Bozik
I almost forgot the warmth of the September sun, its gentle rays that stopped burning our skin some time after the last heat wave (now, I’m sitting here, sunbathing with the usual lateness, offering up my outside to its caress).
Read More »by PJ Carmichael
Read More »On the way home, a bite to eat and songs
to fill the air, our voices in unison
as the journey continues.
by Christian Ward
I’ll say rain, you’ll shout hail
I’ll bellow thunder, you’ll scream lightning
I’ll sing sunshine, you’ll hum clouds
I’ll chant breeze, you’ll repeat gales
I’ll whisper snow, you’ll return blizzard.
Isn’t it like in that old cliché which supposedly says beauty (and perfection) is in the imperfections?
When we asked you on Instagram what is your one-word description of a good day, the words that came up were: serene, reading, adventure, creative, contentment, relaxing, nature, productive… So many different definitions that (we are sure) change daily for each of us.
So, we started thinking about another question that can help your inspiration: what is the one tiny or grand perfection you can find on a normal day, that one joyous kick or spur of motivation, a moment after a hard day that makes you accept the bitter-sweetness and makes you feel like life is alright after all, that might fill you up with sense and meaning or just peace?
Maybe, a perfect day is compiled of moments of being that ground us, reconnect us to ourselves and our humanity. Maybe, just one such moment is enough.
We would love to hear what it all means to you! Send us your submissions for our monthly challenge till next Friday 😉
(Yes, you only have a week left.)
P. S.: We might also accept ironic interpretations of the phrase perfect day. Try us. Those can be the greatest lessons.
by Blanka Pillár
I forgive him for the little lies. The little fibs that slip away and the broken promises that go unkept. He always tells the same lies, and sometimes I believe him, because the story paints itself like a vivid oil portrait; first the figures are painted, then the background, then the corners, edges, contours, and finally it becomes as if it were a real scene on the canvas of life, but only the immensity of human imagination has made believable what could never be real. It tells me what I most desire, and so I reach for it with all my heart, stretching out the arms of my soul to preserve all that its lips say, and to hold it within me for eternity. I love him with all my heart, but when my reality is keen-eyed, it sometimes smells like the scratch of jagged-edged infidelities in the dawning dawn or the wistful night. The cold realisation slips into bed beside me, or touches me as I walk.
Read More »by Erin Mullens
I draw maps on the wall. Maps to nowhere.
Little burned charcoal sticks I pick up
From the remains of the fireplace, scrawling
On the edges of the stone floor underneath
My bed. I slip my body under there, so tiny
And pretend I don’t even exist in the world.
I am not here I am not a person I am not real
And I draw a little map to find a way to another world.
I’ll open a portal under my bed. I’ll escape.
For the first prompt of 2023, we’re starting easy.
How do you picture a day well spent? A day when things feel just right and you’re accompanied by this feeling of being right where you belong? Who do you spend it with? What are you doing? What sounds, tastes and scenes are there that will make you remember it forever? What are you most proud of or grateful for at the end of a day? What was your perfect day when you were a child and how has it changed since? What kind of days do you wish for today?
Tell us everything about the good, the sweet and the ordinary days of your lives and those you still plan to create, or just something the phrase itself might inspire for you. (Yes, we might even accept your interpretation of the Lou Reed’s song with all its bitter-sweetness…)
Read More »by Shamik Banerjee
Soon we will, escape my love!
We shall run beneath the cloud and moon,
then few steps of the dale above,
is waiting our new afternoon.
Read More »by Ruchi Acharya
Lavender never dies just remember
The frozen black coffee
still lies on the table
for I was waiting for you to say first forever.
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