(Photo: Andrés Gómez on Unsplash)
If only they had thought to mark their way, perhaps they wouldn’t have lost it.
Then again, the whole idea of running away was to forgo discovery. Leaving shiny pebbles would have made the whole endeavor be over well before it had began.
They trudged along. Bellies emptier than in hungry nights before.
There was a misery in a scrabbled-for freedom. And yet at least their torsos did not suffer the indignity of another whip.
Eliah’s stomach growled. He sighed. “Only mouths are we.”
“Who sings the distant heart which safely exists in the center of all things?” Lilah responded, distracting him.
The boy grinned through tired tears. He knew the correct reply. The moon of course.
He pointed at the sky.
His grandmother’s nod was filled with pride.
For one was never lost while their heart stayed tethered to the night’s reigning queen.
For the dVerse Prosery challenge
Prosery prompt: “Only mouths are we. Who sings the distant heart which safely exists in the center of all things? – from Rainer Maria Rilke, “Heartbeat.”
Na'ama Yehuda 
I love the poignancy with which this prose is penned, Na’ama. The glimpse of the moon as solid hope and foundation for one and all is deeply moving. Kudos for incorporating the line by Rilke in so effectively. You have added even more depth to it. Thank you so much for writing to the prompt! 💝💝
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Thank you, Sanaa! I am so pleased you’ve enjoyed it and that the use of the quote worked here the way I’d split it into two mouths, so to speak. Here’s to the many who had leaned on mother moon for her guidance and light though many a scary night. Na’ama
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I really like this one! Nice use of, “Only mouths are we.”
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Thank you! I’m delighted you liked it! Here’s to lovely poetry prompts and the muses they call forth. 🙂
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I’m glad the two of them have each other — and the moon.
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Yes, me, too. For children (and for anyone, but especially for children), having someone there to care about them, makes all the difference. And for the grandmother – it has a meaning all its own to protect the boy. xo
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I like this take on the prompt, and the way you incorporated the quote.
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it! And thank you for taking the time to read and to comment. 🙂
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So beautifully said and presented. Thank you, Na’ama!
💚✨💚
Adele Ryan McDowell, Ph.D.
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Thank you, dear Adele! I knew you’d hear the rhythm of this piece. XOXO
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Very well done.
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Thank you! I’m goad it worked!
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I have long depended on the moon for inspiration…
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Ah, yes, Luna and her light. It spills across the soul, does it not?
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I sure there is a connection between us…
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🙂 All is connected …
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Brilliant, Na’ama! This is just wow…
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Thank you, my friend! I’m humbled. I’m so glad this resonated. Throughout history – and to these times – there are those who still live under the burden of tyranny and slavery of all kinds. We ought to do better, as a species, don’t we?
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We ought to. No doubt about it.
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Sigh. Yes.
Tough times in too many place in the world besides. The violence humans inflict upon others is something I could never understand. Not in the name of anything.
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Nor I. Violence on anyone or anything makes no sense to me
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Yeah. It’s been mad today. UGH.
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I hear ya. Indeed. xx
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Such a moving story of escape from tyranny!
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Thank you, Ingrid. So many in the world still are desperate to escape tyranny in their locals. We must do better, as a humanity, to fight tyranny and be a shelter for those fleeing it.
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Beautiful
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Thank you! 🙂
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🙂
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This is lovely !!
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Thank you, Helen! 🙂
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I love how you gave the answer to the question… and what a sweet grandmother grandchild dialogue.
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Thanks, Bjorn! The quote lent itself to the dialogue, I felt, and I am delighted it was communicated. 🙂
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Lovely and poignant. I feel like this could be the story of many throughout time.
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Thank you, my friend. Yes, Merril, I think it probably can resonate with different people through the hourglass of time … Alas.
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