She Will Not Become

February 26, 2022Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Meditations, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: being yourself, Choices, Expectations, Find your voice, Flash Fiction, individuality, Mannequin, Micro-fiction, Poetry, Weekend Writing Prompt 15 Comments

(Photo: Roberto Martinez on Unsplash)

She will not become a mannequin.

Her mother may have images of what a daughter looks like.

Her father may hold his of what she must not, at any cost, resemble.

Her teachers may believe she found bad friends.

Her brothers had supplied them.

To all she says –

In mind if not in volume –

That she will not become,

A mannequin.

She will find her own way.

Her look.

Her path.

Her mirrors.

Enough already lost,

As childhood magic

Left,

And stripped

Her life austerer.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Mannequin in 85 words

In The Wrong

January 22, 2022Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Choices, Criticism, Finding your way, listening, Mothering, parenting, Poetry, self-esteem, Trust yourself, Weekend Writing Prompt 25 Comments

(Photo: Anna Hecker on Unsplash)

She was, always, in the wrong.

The wrong path. The wrong friends.

The wrong choices. The wrong dress.

The wrong dreams. The wrong job.

Wrong husband.

Wrong … no … not the wrong children.

Just the sometimes-very-difficult ones.

No wonder,

When her every action was judged

Widdershins.

So she chose to listen

To no one,

But the small call

Of her soul,

And the small arms that wrapped

Around her legs

When she reached

Down.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: widdershins in 75 words

By The Books

October 2, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: books, Choices, cleaning up, Inheritance, Loss, Micro Fiction, New Beginnings, Poetry, Priorities, Taking Stock, Weekend Writing Prompt 24 Comments

Photo: MoneyforCoffee on Pixabay

Now that it was all hers, she wanted none of it.

She didn’t give an iota for questions or neighbors’ looks.

Out went the furniture. The clothing. The towels.

The reminders of swindlers and rooks.

She got rid of the bedding, the shelving,

The whole kit and caboodle in numerous crannies and nooks.

There was naught in the house for her

But memories of pain and emotional hooks.

She cleaned out the lot

And left only the books.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Caboodle in 78 words

Self Employed

August 20, 2021August 20, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: CCC, Childhood trauma, Choices, Coming of age, Courage, Flash Fiction, Micro-fiction, New Beginnings, Overcoming, Photo prompt, Self sufficiency 8 Comments

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“This is not what we invested all that tuition money for, Robert.”

His mother’s voice remained soft, even pleasant. One may think she was but mildly annoyed.

Rob knew better.

It was the same voice that had sent his boyhood self to the attic without dinner for the slightest infraction. That left a small child to shiver there through endless winter nights. That told his father to retrieve the paddle and “do what needed to be done to make a man of an ungrateful son.”

“I am sorry, Mother,” Rob bowed politely in her direction. Bowed just enough to let her know that he no longer cared nor feared her. “I had made it clear that your plans did not fit mine.”

“Your father expects a partner,” she stated. Ordered.

“That ship had sailed, Mother,” he replied. “I bought the farm. I’ll be my own man. Chart my own course.”

For Crispina’s Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Arranged

June 19, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Arranged marriage, Child marriage, Choices, Creative writing, Forced marriage, hope, Poetry, Unknown, Weekend Writing Prompt, Worry 19 Comments

(Photo: Ben Rosett on Unsplash)

There was not much to do but wait.

And hope.

The lots were cast,

Though she had very little trust

In such.

It was not for her

To decide.

Now it was just,

The drip of minutes

Through childhood’s hourglass.

Dreams slowly fraying

Into dust,

While growing worries,

Poke trembling shoots

Into her heart.

Will this unknown,

Chosen for her

Husband,

Will he be

Kind?

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Challenge: unknown in 65 words

Refusal

June 17, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: CCC, Choices, Defiance, Elders, Evil, Flash Fiction, Micro-fiction, Moral compass, Orders, Photo prompt, Right from Wrong 9 Comments

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“Not all orders ought to be obeyed.”

The old man’s head was bent over the leather, but Owen read more than concentrated focus in the bony shoulders, in the jab of awl then needle bearing sinew through the holes.

“They said ‘Everyone’, Grandfather,” the youth fretted.

The fingers stopped moving and rheumy eyes met his in shared cornflower. The hue used to comfort him. A confirmation of family and familiarity. Now Owen wondered whether it also reflected the age he may well not live to be. Especially, he thought, if he did not obey …

“Look up,” the elder’s chin bobbed.

Owen squinted against glare. White sun on milky skies and swift-moving darker clouds of gray.

“You can no more change the sun’s course than a moral compass,” Grandfather noted. A cloud blotted the sun and a chill traveled down Owen’s back. “Do not obey evil. Fight it, or hide.”

For Crispina‘s Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Topper

February 7, 2021February 7, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Funnies, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: Birds, Choices, Crow, Flash Fiction, Just for fun, Micro-fiction, Perch, Photo Fiction, Self-awareness, Top Banana, WritePhoto 19 Comments

‘Twas the best spot in the woods and he was keeping to it.

Sure, it had almost no leaves and practically no protection from the wind. Sure, the branches whipped around in every breeze and let the cold sneak under the most primped up feathers.

It none of it mattered.

When he could perch up at the very top.

Surveil. Keep tabs. See things first. Unhindered by masses of pine needles or large floppy green things hiding one’s next dinner.

“See Topper there?” he heard a winger chatter at another. “He thinks he’s top banana.”

“Not banana,” Topper retorted, and puffed his chest for emphasis with not-so-hidden indignation. “Top crow!”

For Sue Vincent’s WritePhoto Challenge

Photo prompt: Sue Vincent

Tested

January 9, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: Choices, Crucible, Current events, Goverment, History, Insurrection, Leadership, Lies, Moral Fiber, Weekend Writing Prompt 22 Comments

Photo: Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash

Perhaps they did not know when it would come, or what it would require to what end. But they had to know they’d face the crucible that will reveal a moral fiber, if they had one.

They’d have to choose then: good or bad, peace or harm, truth or falsehood.

It would appear an easy choice, to go for better judgment. And yet they had so tangled themselves in the net of lies, that extrication meant losses they weren’t quite prepared to reap. Not when they hoped for revenue from crouching behind flags of insurrection.

They capitulated.

Dark history, revisited.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Crucible in 100 words

Blindsided

November 19, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Things Kids Say, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Bad idea, Bullying, CCC, Challenge, children, Choices, Flash Fiction, Intuition, Micro-fiction, Peer pressure, Photo prompt 13 Comments

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“Once you’re out the other side you’ll be one of us.”

Marco hiked his chin to try and eye the larger boy through the slits of light underneath the tight blindfold. He wanted to take the stupid thing off. It was scratchy and smelly and made him feel sad.

But to do so would be to give up and be left out. He didn’t want to be left out. Again.

“What if I crash?” he tried but didn’t quite manage to keep the quiver out of his voice. He was afraid of the dark. And of falling. The others knew it. That’s why this test. To weave a skateboard, blind, through the concrete blocks in the underpass.

“Then,” Roberto replied haughtily, “you will have only yourself to blame for not being good enough.”

Marco blinked. It sounded wrong.

Before he could pull the blindfold off, someone gave him a push.

For Crispina’s Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Better Happy Than Sad

November 4, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Funnies, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Choices, Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, friends, Jerusalem, Juice, Micro-fiction, Relationships, The Old City 45 Comments

“You think he’ll win?”

Shlomi shrugged. Elections or not, he was distracted by the scents wafting from the cart across the stone-paved alley. His wife would kill him if he drank any of the juices. Diabetes would kill him, too. So it was just a matter of whether it’ll happen on his terms.

Or not.

He sighed.

“Get that pomegranate juice,” Abdul urged. “You know no one makes it like my father does.”

Better die happy than sad.

“Abu Abdul,” Shlomi called across the narrow alley. “One pomegranate?”

“For sure, Habibi,” the old man grinned. “Want that fake-sugar in there?”

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers