Anya stared until the black whorls on her arms blurred together.
Then she blinked and they were just as clear as ever.
‘Removing them won’t help,’ said Rowen. He dropped his weight beside her and slung his arms across the back of the park bench. She felt him run his thumb across her shoulder. ‘You can’t change the past Anya.’
She swallowed around the anger rising in her throat. Some days it filled her so full it was as if she would explode and take the whole world with her. Some days that seemed like a good idea.
‘Then what am I meant to do?’
Rowen shrugged.
‘You will learn to love again the stranger who was yourself,’ he said.
Anya’s knuckles whitened.
‘And what does that mean?’
He shrugged again.
‘It means we all change kiddo, accept it and learn to love it.’
Written for DVersePoets Prosery prompt. 144 word flash fiction story, incorporating the line ‘You will learn to love again the stranger who was yourself’ by poet Derek Walcott.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Published by Carol J Forrester
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
“You will learn to love again the stranger who was yourself” ommmmggggg that line is from the poem Love After Love by Derek Walcott!!!!
Yes, it’s tonight’s flash fiction prompt for DVersepoets, to write a piece of prose and to incorporate that line.
Ohhhh okay. That’s awesome. You did a great job!
Thank you! It’s a great poetry community if you want to check it out. They put up prompts three times a week.
Alrighty, I’ll see 🙂
Very nice Carol. Leaves me wondering what she is changing into!
Nice one, Carol! My kind of story. I want to know where the black whorls come from and what they mean, especially with the anger that ‘filled her so full it was as if she would explode and take the whole world with her’. I like the contrast of the black whorls and her white knuckles.
A well written tale, leaving us with the mystery of the black whorls. “Accept it and learn to love it” ?? Hmmm
Such a great message in this one.
Nice one Carol, she certainly needs the encouragement of a friend, she seems very intense
Happy Monday
Much❤✏❤love
Learning to love who I turned out to be has been my newest life goal. Sound advice in either way you look at it.
I like this very much
okay…I want to learn more about her! His use of the word “kiddo” makes it seem like a flippant retort and that he doesn’t much care about her. She seems a disturbed person without someone to listen. Doesn’t bode well.
This is a story that made me think about the choices she has has in front of her… we seems to have been thinking about similar things, though your reference to something I almost feel is a werewolf myth really made me think.
It made me think of the song Werewolf by Cocorosie