General

Image credit: Kelly Ann Tan on Unsplash

(The image shows a child looking at his image in a clear glass.)

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Standing silently 
He stares at his reflection 
Raises his arms above his head
Turn his hands this way and that
Assuring himself that it was indeed only his reflection
He drops to the floor sitting cross-legged 
Quietly he starts to tell his story 
The whispers interspersed with soft giggles 
After a while he says a silent goodbye 
And moves away from his reflection, another him
Being an only child, he chose himself as his friend 

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Written for RXC # 218, hosted by Reena.

#Keepitalive

#RXC

A child who has experienced complex trauma will have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions.

Child

i am a child of lies
and compromises
of insults
and agonizing cries
of concealed truths
and broken promises

i am a sole witness
to how a once supposed
great love story
turned into
a disgusting
and spiteful relationship

For Reena’s Exploration Challenge https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2022/02/17/reenas-xploration-challenge-218/

Reena’s Xploration Challenge

Haiku – Pensive Tides!

PROMPT #218

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #218

Changeling

By Ami (Gypsie) Offenbacher

They keep asking me as if somehow, I can just look in the mirror and know. Am I a boy or a am I a girl? I do not know.I

The that appeal to me. Keep your trucks and GI Joe’s, it’s to the theatre I want to go.

Yet standing here so gaunt and thin, wishing for things that have never been discussed out loud or in private company. What I would do for all the jewels and wealth in the world, I would give it all up for a small bit of money.

Cash to pay the surgeons bill, who’d change this boy into a girl.

I have written 2 haiku for Reena’s picture prompt. They can be read in continuity or as two distinct haiku.

Abusive childhood

wallflower disposition

behavior issues

Orphanage to home

contemplative reflection

family at last?

Inspired by Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Envy & Reena’s Exploration Challenge #218

wants forcing our hand
deliberate pondering
envy guides a way

New place, new home, new people
I wonder whether I will make friends here.
Or will it be just me and the boy in the reflection again?

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Joining Reena’s Xploration Challenge – #218

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #216

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #217

Prompt#216

CHARACTER SKETCH

We have an image here, but the task is not just to write a story or poem about the picture or spirit of the picture.

You need to imagine this as a character in a story plot and write about her.

• Give her a name.
• Mention the geography she lives in.
• What could be her temperament?
• Is she prone to melancholy, or is she faking it to fool someone?
• Is there someone she is thinking about?
• Where could she go next for here?

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The lies she can tell

Without batting an eyelid

With innocent face

She can fool the over smarts

Who brag about their wisdom

Her smile is false too

Like her false melancholy

She knows very well

How chivalrous people

Like a damsel in distress

As they get a chance

To show off their valiancy

Empathize, someone,

Makes…

Lie

everything about her is a lie
starting off with her big charming smile
down to her notorious strong profile
and her perfectly empowered life.

everything about her is a lie
she covered it with her sweetest glow
hiding all the pains of being beaten so low
of silently wanting to scream out loud.

everything about her is a lie
she had to make a false show
a pretense for everyone to know
that she is better than being okay.

everything about her is a lie
and maybe one day she’ll
learn to figure out the hell
she is trapped with for long.

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #217

There was much consternation in the family when he had said “yes” to her.

It was an arranged meeting set up by his maternal grandfather. Even though his parents were reluctant to go ahead with his ‘seeing’ the girl, as she was dark-complexioned, they couldn’t say no to his grandfather.

He had found her utterly charming, witty as well as feisty. He could easily see himself spending his life with her.

“But bhaiya**, why did you say yes? asked his younger sister curiously. “You know mom wants a chand ka tukda jaisi bahu!” ***

He laughed heartily and replied,”But choti****, she is chand ka tukda! When you look at her you realise, it is a moon wrapped up in brown paper.”

Looking at her bewildered expression, he winked conspiratorially, “You won’t understand, choti!” Then added, “Just wait till you meet her then you will know.”

Written for dVerse. Today’s host…