Unsuitable For Your Kind

August 21, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Professional Development, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: adoption, Childhood Adversity, empathy, Flash Fiction, Micro-fiction, New Beginnings, orphanage, Trauma and Development, Weekend Writing Prompt 27 Comments

(Photo: Kristian Strand on Unsplash)

“The best,” the man swept a heavy arm across the offerings.

“And there?” the woman gestured at the shadows.

“Nothing worth your time, Madam.” He looked pointedly at her tailored attire, “Unsuitable for your kind.”

“Nonsense,” she ordered.

He frowned but snapped his fingers. “Silvia!”

The child looked underfed even in comparison to the other orphans.

“Trouble,” he warned. “Used up her chances twice.”

“Or,” the woman smiled, “very insufficiently pre-loved.”

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Pre-loved in 71 words

Resonance

May 22, 2021Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Adversity, Briefly, Eerie, empathy, Memory, pain, Poetry, Resonance, Understanding, Unexpected, Weekend Writing Prompt 19 Comments

(Photo: Johnny Cohen on Unsplash)

The sound began

A whisper,

Only to crescendo to

A cry

That made the very

Heart

Howl

In eerie

Resonance

Of pain.

Familiar

Again.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Eerie in 24 words

Last Course

January 22, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Airplane, Be in the moment, empathy, Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Ice-Cream, Micro-fiction, Optimism, Relationships, Small Things, travel 45 Comments

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

“So nice of them to give us ice-cream!” Sheri grinned. It was her favorite brand, too. On a plane! How fun!

“Even people on death row get a last meal.”

She elbowed him. Her friends said Robert was a party-popper. A fuddy-duddy, spoil sport, malcontent. Sometimes she wondered if they were right. Her husband did have a way of deflating. She felt bad for him. Life must be so gray, to experience life his way.

“Well, I’m going to enjoy mine,” she announced, infusing extra-cheer into her voice. “If it’s my last course, I’ll be halfway up to heaven already.”

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

(Note: Thank you, Rochelle for using my potentially boring 16 hour direct flight photo from JFK to Hong-Kong from the summer before last … While this is not an ad, the ice-cream sure was a comfort … 🙂 )

No Sale

November 20, 2018Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Funnies, Life and love, Photography, Reflections, Things Kids Say, Writing Tags: Bakery, Best friends, Birthday, CFFC, empathy, Just for fun, parenting, Photo Challenge, Photography, Poetry, Preschoolers, Things Kids Say 2 Comments

Photo: Smadar Halperin-Epshtein

The child gawked at the offers,

Little jaw dropped agape:

Who put Elmo in icing?

Why would anyone want

His best friend to bake?

The boy’s eyes traveled upwards,

Rounded wide at the shelf:

How did Ernie and Bert

End up stuck into cakes?

Can you pull out poor Oscar?

Can Big Bird escape?

This won’t do for my party

I want ice cream instead.

For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Funny

The Interview

September 30, 2018October 1, 2018Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: Asylum, Broadmoor, Elderly, empathy, Flash Fiction, Interview, Life Lessons, Micro-fiction, Short Story, Trauma, Writing prompt Leave a comment

The Broadmoor in Crowthorne Berkshire "opened in 1863 as the first building in England built as an asylum for the criminally insane." Today it houses dangerous criminals including the Yorkshire Ripper and the Suffolk Strangler. There is now talk of turning this building into a luxury hotel.

“How did I get here? Too many times of the world painting life in bleak pain and despair,” her wrinkled hand passed over a face lined with history and sorrow.

I looked down at my own hands, fingers marked with blots of ink. I never managed to learn how to hold writing implements far enough from the tip.

Mrs. Glendale leaned forward and her hand touched my knee. The attendant didn’t flinch but I held my breath and wondered, again, what made me choose the asylum for the criminally insane for my project.

“Whatever happens, child,” she whispered, “remember it is best for your heart to brandish hope, not revenge.”

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt

Worse Off Than A Monk

September 22, 2018September 22, 2018Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: Adolescents, Basque region, Decisions, empathy, Family, Flash Fiction, Loss, Micro-fiction, Off The Grid, Short Story, Teenagers, What Pegman Saw, Writing prompt 15 Comments

Photo: Mapio.net; Goizueta, Navarre

“I am not going!”

They cannot send him to that miserable hut where there’s no electricity, no running water, creepy crawlies, and no internet. Even monks have internet. He was going to be worse off than a monk!

His father sighed. “Aitona Antton needs help and Osaba Alesander is still recovering from his motorcycle accident.”

“So I need to lose a leg to get out of this?” Danel grumbled.

His father’s sharp inhale told him he’d gone too far.

He shrugged apology. He was in enough trouble. Ditching school, hanging out “with the wrong crowd.” It was exile or jail.

“He’s your great-grandfather,” his father sounded tired, and not just from spending nights at Uncle Alesander’s bedside. “You used to love visiting him.”

“Before Birramona died …” Danel stopped. The remote homestead was awfully quiet without his great-grandmother. How much more so for Aitona-handia?

He sighed. “At least I like goat-cheese.”

For What Pegman Saw

(Basque glossary – Aitona: Grandfather; Aitona-handia: Great grandfather; Birramona: Great grandmother; Osaba: Uncle)

Be With

September 20, 2018Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Meditations, Muse and Flow, Photography, Quotes, Reflections, Writing Tags: blessing, compassion, empathy, friendship, humanity, Interconnectedness, kindness, Nurturing, Photography, Poetry, Quote, Writing prompt 4 Comments

Photo: Dikla Nachmias

When someone needs,

May you be there

May you be with.

When it is you who needs,

May someone be there for you

To be with.

For Nurturing Thursday

No Case

September 15, 2018Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Photography, Quotes, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Bombs, empathy, End violence, humanity, No More Hate, No More War, Peace, Photography, Rockets, War, Writing prompt 1 Comment

Photo: Ofir Asif

Make no case

For shells

That harm,

When peace reaches

Exponentially

Farther.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Shell

May We Be the Adults Kids Need

August 11, 2018Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Life and love, Professional Development, Resources and links, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Awareness, BFP, boundaries, Childhood trauma, connection, Current affairs, empathy, Good Tips, Keeping children safe, Posttraumatic Stress, self-care, Trauma, Triggers 4 Comments

The link below is to an article by Dawn Haney (thank you, Jenny, for sending it to me). It is very well done and immensely relevant.

Take a moment to read it, and perhaps a few more to allow your realities and reactions to have the room they require and deserve. If you are so inclined, leave a comment below and share your thoughts about the article, of the things you’ve found to be helpful, and the realities of balancing activism with self-care.

In these times of rampant overwhelm and maddening injustice — especially if you carry your own wounds and trauma history — may you find the support you need, the awareness you seek, and the way to provide aid to the vulnerable in the pace and manner you can manage.

And may we all, indeed, be the adults kids need.