She started as water,
someone who flowed calmly,
despite the waves.
She was patient,
but she had her limits.
She was innocent,
maybe that made it easier for others to break her.
But like water,
she kept flowing,
through the tides and waves.
Sometimes,
the wave would strike hard,
sinking her deep into the darkness,
and there would be no one to hold her hand,
to pull her out.
Sometimes,
everything would come crashing towards her,
and the words and actions would hurt her too much.
She was someone
who kept her feelings hidden inside,
allowing them to drown her,
and she was struggling to rise again.
They called her weak
and thought everything about her was fragile.
They said she could not make it in this world,
living in all that darkness.
They assumed her heart was made of glass
and it would shatter any second.
They thought she would dry up
and be left with nothing.
Their words did not break her,
however.
They pulled her out of her misery,
into the moonlight.
She knew she would not become what they assumed her to be.
Because she knew she wasn’t who they claimed she was.
She knew who she was,
and others’ opinions could not define her.
Now,
she is the fire that glows
with sweetness rather than bitterness.
She knew she had to ignite their words with kindness,
rather than treating them the same way.
She smiled;
she knew her smile was bright enough
to hurt those who thought otherwise.
She had to live for herself,
and prove all those wrong,
who dared to hurt her.
She changed,
because of pain,
because of others,
and for herself.
She had a positive outlook on life now,
and she let the flame inside her burn all the negativity.
She learned,
she overcame her obstacles,
and now, she is stronger than ever.
And no one,
absolutely no one can burn her light out.
This piece was inspired by this writing prompt:
Q IS FOR QUAY (in Calgary, by the river will suffice)
What to do there: Write about movement. Sit and watch the world go by. Notice the differences between land and water and sky. If you don’t have a quay, a jetty will do, or a harbour, or a river bank. Tell the story of a character who transforms when they move from one element to the other and how this transformation impacts on their life, their relationships, and their daily routines. This could be your own story.
Why it’s good for you: Gets you to think about the drama that happens on the level of place, two very different places side by side, and the tension between them.
***
Along with this writing prompt, while at the river, I was inspired to write something along the ideas of fire and water. As well, at the beginning of the semester, Ms. Hunnisett had suggested an idea to me regarding my About Me. Since I used some elements of water in my About Me, she just gave a suggestion to play around with the elements of water and fire. I kept that idea with me until now and I chose to incorporate it into this piece.
