Flash Fiction, Haiku & Other Poetry, tutto e niente

intolerable

the curtain rises

born with intuitive grace

we bask in the show

then tears build a wall

and days unfurl into years

the party grows old

till a new moon shines

nothing left (or right) to chance

toss the dice once more 

in the hush we feign

betting on the hand of fate

to change destiny

but stripped to the bone

the curtain of darkness falls

a shroud for the shame

still the day begins

a trick of light and shadow

burning umber sky   

an unwary smile

a mask we still wear each day

hiding our true face  

intolerable

Weekly-Challenge19

Thanks to Carrot Ranch 99 Word Story Challenge for the inspiration to try something a bit different for me- a narrative poem of sorts.

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

Red is Definitely My Color

I was never a “convertible person.” Hot in the summer. Cold in the winter. Buggy. Windy. Nope. Not for me.

But … I had to admit, I looked good. Red was definitely my color.

A horn blasted and I shifted my gaze to the truck also reflected in the store window. Resisting the urge to flip them off, I meekly waved. They roared past me, blasting exhaust.

As that rumble faded, the sound from the trunk grew louder. Time to get back to the task at hand.

I indulged in one last look. Yes. Red definitely was my color.

istockphoto-897266106-170667a

Thanks to Carrot Ranch 99 Word Story for the inspiration.

Flash Fiction, tutto e niente

Un’altra notte rossa

All around me, conversations swell. I understand little but instead of seeming cacophonous, the words soothe. They distract from my reality until the prosecco dulls the pain.    

Then the old woman who runs the osteria stands over me, “Ciligie”?

Seeing the cherries shakes me from my stupor.

She continues, “Devi rimanere per La Notte Rossa.”

The Red Night.

Stuck in an unrelenting loop, I had forgotten the world moves on. Ciliegie abound. And the people celebrate. But not us.

The cherries taunt me with their promise of sweetness but my mind fills with another red night as darkness falls.

This 99 word story was made possible by the https://carrotranch.com/2022/07/25/template-story-challenge-in-99-words-3/