Trial, misfortune,
Bad days, bad luck,
Sometimes it seems,
We’re forever stuck.

No matter where we look,
There it is.
We can’t see past,  
So we settle in.

Our misfortune doesn’t vanish,
We can’t pretend it does,
But try to grow, not settle,
It’s possible because,
You aren’t stuck to your misfortune,
And it’s not stuck to you,
It might seem like forever,
But it is not glue.

We can move on,
We can let go,
We can break through,
Yes, we can grow.

Every class I walked into, was a new book for me to read...
Terror had an aim on me...

and with time, it struck...

Numbness bathed me as I stepped into another Dimension, out and beyond my comfort zone

People that surrounded me, blinded my eyes, for this was a community of uncomfortable brightness, colors, and laughter.

I wanted to disintegrate into a shadow and fall right through the floor... and allow my soul to shrink and disappear.

For I stepped into an atmosphere that was unfamiliar to me...

I always looked down, for I felt like a prisoner of fear... for this is all a New World, a New Beginning for me...

I can't back down from this challenge, I'm already here...

a rinse
that he
convince the
wiseness as
Victor Borge
now act
to stream
if verge
of coast
in the
sand lie
the sphere
of confluence
to evolve
but evoke
the cascade
she flows

grab a pen and paper
now write at the top of the paper, "things I  want"
list all of the things you desire. Money aside, reality aside, what is it that you truly want.
next write " things I need"
and list the things that keep your heart beating. the things that make you get up every morning. your hopes and dreams, your ambition.

now compare.

are the things you need lining up with the things you want?
does what make you want to be better also want you want to be?
ask yourself, "is this how i want to live"

Ten Word Challenge: orphan/ gilded/ scattered/ fins/ library/ pavement/ plowshares/ stamp/ outcry/ tomatoes


Orphan books at the library
scattered on rickety tables
set up on the cracked pavement
await a new home at bargain prices

Books whose stamps
of classification are faded
Some with gilded edges
like the fins of goldfish

Books rich with knowledge
ready for curious fertile minds
like soil being turned by plowshares
for corn, wheat or rich red tomatoes

Books that - if not re-homed
if tossed or burned -
would rightly cause an outcry
from book lovers everywhere

I walked into a sunset that did not belong to me,
Its vivid colours burning across the Mediterranean Sea.
In a fragile, elusive moment of composure
I gazed at the choppy sea moving closer
To the rugged, pebbly, rocky shore
Where I stood alone against the Rock.
The Rock of Gibraltar watched with a smile
As the turbulent Med pulsating with life
Scattered its waves against the strand,
And the sapphire waters kissed the ancient land.
The stormy sea embraced the coast
With fierceness intangible as a ghost.
The air vibrated with a taste of freedom,
With barely audible words of wisdom
That travelled across the centuries
To fill the tangy air with memories.
The voices from the past enveloped the Rock
In an alluringly mythical, protective cloak.
I gathered the strength I drew from the Rock;
Fears discarded, the resolve growing strong,
I walked the Med Steps to the very top
Against a dazzlingly splendid backdrop
Of the breathtaking views of the bay,
Basking in the aura of fears thrown away.
Intoxicated by the beauty, hungry for more,
I was feeling elated to the very core.
The fear of heights temporarily conquered,
The contentment felt almost awkward.
Suddenly, the world seemed a different place:
Offering the nature's graceful embrace.
As the starry night slowly descended,
In my solitude, I felt protected
By the mighty Rock standing tall and grand
Guarding the ancient, immemorial land.

Copyright: Nara Hodge 2018