
This Summer Boy
This summer boy of tide pools and kelp forests. He plays in waves while grains of an hourglass slip from under his feet. Up to his waist. He’s afraid to move. Afraid to call for help. He hears a chaos of language from the shore. His legs tangle in the long reach of brown and green. Of kelp. He’s rooted in its grasp.
He remembers playing in wheat fields. He found a dead mouse. Poked it with a stick, wanting to prod some life into it. Into its near-dead sleep. But dead is dead.
In the morning, this summer boy’s pale body will be found on the beach, on the damp grains of an hourglass, swaddled in kelp. And his mother shall will God for an answer, “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow out of this stony rubbish?”
Written for dVerse Prosery. 144 words. Include the line “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow out of this stony rubbish?” – The Wasteland, T.S. Eliot. Photo by Shane Stagner on Unsplash. Shared with #APoemADay on Twitter ©Misky 2021
17 responses to “12 October: dVerse Prosery”
Wow, Misky… that’s really dark and intense! I love how he recalls the mouse…
❤
David
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❤️❤️ Thanks, David.
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Powerful stuff my friend. 👏
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Many thanks, Hobbo. ps: my spell checker always wants to rename you Hobs. 😁
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You are welcome. I wish my spellchecker would speak English instead of American. The settings don’t seem to make any difference. 😂
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What device are using to write your WordPress comments?
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WordPress? A HP laptop? Don’t ask me anything technical Misky; I’m hopeless.
The main problem is when I type my poems into WordPress; anything not spelled American such as colour rather than color gets the red squiggle treatment. Not a big deal, just a minor irritation.
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Is this while you’re in the browser? Right click on the squiggly red line, and if you’re given the option to Learn It (or something similar) select that. There’s probably a browser setting in Settings -> Languages that you can change.
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😂 Thanks. I can but try!
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Great images in your story. The dead mouse is a wonderful point of interest! Sad story for sure! Well done.
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This was a great read!
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Thank you, Helen.
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I adore the way you presented this….dark, real, with glimpses of a past that haunts the poor soul. The image of drowning, being stuck and pulled under, those around him not able to understand. To me, this speaks of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. Then found, we ask why. Resonates deeply for me. I love reading your work, Misky.
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Thanks, Mish. It’s such a dark line, to me, that my brain couldn’t come up with anything light or enlightening.
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This is amazing, Misky. The repeated imagery is so powerful and the use of the quote so seamless. A fabulous piece!
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Thank you! It took my brain a few days to come up with something. 😂
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Oh, powerful! I love water but never wanted to venture more than waist-deep in a lake. The older brother of one of my friends drowned in a lake when his leg became tangled in something, and I was always afraid to swim in lakes after hearing about that.
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