Here’s to quiet joy
Here’s to good friends and warm nights
To conversations stretching into the dawn
With bonfires burning low
Drinks that are bottomless, and meant for fun
Comfort without despair
Bring on those fresh starts,
Those new opportunities
Find what brings you peace,
Clear heads, a touch of luxury,
Smart women and their enthralling wisdom,
Treasures worth falling into
Give me wine
Give me love
Give me oblivion with bells
Happiness.
The snow fell lightly on the lake. A small breeze whipped through the trees, sending streams of white into the air. The lake was frozen, or perhaps it had never thawed before. A low fog stretched out across it into the horizon. Where the ground ended and the gray sky began was a mystery, it was simply an endless gloom. Winter had not only come, it perhaps always had been there.
The man moved slowly across the snow. He wasn’t an old man, nor was he a child eager to run and play. His shoulders were white from the snowfall, and his red hat drooped over his face. He was tired, he was weak. The man had worked, worried, and wondered when it would end. And it showed. His eyes downcast, his long red coat worn and frayed, he walked.
The cabin was hard to see. It wasn’t a large house, and the snow kept it well covered. The windows were frosted over and the door was met with a wall of white. The man kicked away, clearing a path and opening the door. He slipped into the cabin and close it behind him.
It was a simple place, and in almost total darkness. A small cluttered kitchen sat in the back, while a fireplace stood in the front, accompanied by a worn and overstuffed chair. A blanket-covered bed was on the far side, covered too deep in the shadows to see in detail.
The man pulled off his hat and removed his long coat, hanging the damp red items on the back of the door. The man knelt before the fireplace, grabbing the poker to jab at some logs. From his dark vest he pulled some matches, igniting one and setting it into the grate. After a moment the logs caught, and a warm glow filled the cabin. He rubbed his hands together and went to the kitchen and lighting a small stove. He filled his kettle and put it on the fire.
He pulled out a small bottle of cream and a shallow bowl. He set down the bowl in front of the fire, filling it up. As he capped the bottle two furry shapes woke up on the bed and hurried over to the hearth. The man pet both cats and watched as they lapped up the cream. Sighing deeply, he set the bottle down and sat in the chair. He leaned back, at ease for the first time he could remember. It had been a long Christmas, and one without much cheer. But now it was different. The man smiled.
He was home.
I don’t like to post things beyond my writing here, but I wanted to offer an update. I’m currently eight days away from finishing college, where I have been very busy these last few months. Once I finish I’m going to dive back into writing, partly poetry but a lot more prose. Expect updates in the coming weeks.
-Nicholas
A is for you
Because it’s you that I miss
I never put it to words,
But I guess you figured it out
You’re the one who got me,
Who helped me feel like I wasn’t alone
You’re a friend, a confident, and someone I care for
Shame I never got to show it
Why was it so hard for me?
Why couldn’t I just say it?
I guess it’s because I wanted you to be happy
With who you were with, with who you loved
Isn’t that how it always is?
Now we’re apart,
I don’t know if you know,
How exactly I felt for you
Or how that night left me thinking
But now when I think back
Of all of what happened to me
A is for you
Because you’re what matters most
The @WriteRCastle Twitter account (set up for the fictional author Richard Castle from TV’s Castle) recently put out a call for six-word stories, using Hemingway’s famous story as an example. Here was my entry to the #ShortShortStory hashtag:
“He loved her. She left him.”
Find life. Find love. Find an escape. Find an adventure. Find your friends in the crowd. Find that one old album, find that secret spot. Find something worth dying for that’s even better to live and enjoy. Find your own path. Find meaning. Find a way away from worry. Find life.
Let’s take a walk
It’s only just pouring
And now it’s sunny
But we’re already wet
Let’s travel around
See what the city’s like
All the nooks and crannies
Full of people and place
We can go,
To the trees in the hills,
The dunes at the beaches,
And the alleys downtown
Let’s go explore
Come on, it will be fun
We’ll run from the crowds
Or sneak into that show
The sun will start to go down
As we hike to the top of the hill
We’ll see the city turned ruby gold
As we dine on a picnic
The last bus will drop us off a few stops too soon
Just as the rain starts to fall again
We’ll laugh and splash and run through it
Too happy to worry
When the clouds part and the moon peeks out
Let’s stroll home together
Arm in arm,
It will just be a few blocks to go
We can do all of this,
See anything we want
Let’s make it an adventure
We don’t know where it will take us
Let’s take a walk
What happened to love
And why do we end up in flings?
I know I’m
Shy
Clueless
Awkward
And I know nothing comes easily
But are we really giving up on love?
Are we settling for a bit of lust?
Intimacy is beautiful,
But devoid of passion
It’s a hollow joy
Why do we run around
Seeking hookups,
One-night stands,
Flings,
Or anything in between
I’m told romance is dead
And to take a look around
But I don’t believe them
How could it ever die?
I hope to find it
Maybe not now,
Maybe years down the road
But I still believe life isn’t a hollow fling
I am a traveler
Or at least I long to be
I yearn for the windy road
And the unexpected paths
I see it, you know
Just beyond those hills
Sunlight lands and shadowy plains.
Places I know not
I want to see the world
But I know nothing of it
My shoes not right
But my dreams so bright
Maybe I feel shut in,
Stuck in the land of fakes and faking
Or I just want to see beyond my life
And know the expanse of human life
I’m torn to shreds,
By wanderlust, by fear, by indecisiveness
By my own naive ideas
What do I know of the world?
Maybe I should just give up on this
And enjoy my own personal space
Maybe I should push this out of my mind
And focus on the now and the present
But I know I cant
I can’t shake this urge
This burning desire to just go,
To just run out of here
I want to see the world,
To be a traveler
To meet people, to go new places
And be struck with awe of the beauty of life
I want to run to my dreams
But I don’t know how
It’s cold to the touch
And sharper than a thousand blades
It cuts into me,
Deep, drawing my breath
No way back, just stagnation or the unknown plunge
The world in front of me leaves me blind
Is it dark because it’s dark and empty
Or are things so bright they drown my eyes?
It’s going to be a splash,
No quiet or meek escape
It’s now or never
The shackle or the dive
I wonder, maybe it could be better
But pondering maybe’s just another way of staying trapped
It’s time to take action, it’s time to dive in
It’s just
Life.
