WRITESPIRATION @sacha_black #107 52 WEEKS IN 52 WORDS WEEK11 ‘Romantic Words’ #FlashFiction

This post was written in response to Sacha Black’s weekly prompt for 2017 (52 weeks in 52 words).

Sacha will post one prompt a week for 52 weeks, and the challenge is to write a story in just 52 words exactly. The value of conciseness for a writer is invaluable, as Sacha herself reminds us: ‘The art of being concise is nothing if not a muscle flexing ‘write’ bicep curling device’. This weeks’ prompt ‘The distance between,,,’

This week the challenge is to write the most romantic 52 words you can, to turn Sacha’s black coal infested heart into mush! She needs some love to keep her going under the pressure. Bonus points if anyone makes her weepy!

I hope you enjoy this Flash about love beyond the grave. Inspired by: ‘And I shall but love thee better after death.”

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Love After Love

We were five when you pushed your fingers through mine,

Eleven when you crushed me in your arms,

Fifteen when we sealed our first kiss,

Seventeen when we made love,

Twenty-two when we promised our vows,

And sixty-four when I left,

But you still bring me flowers,

And I blow you kisses while you sleep.

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I hope that’s romantic enough and sad enough for Sacha!

It is love which brings us the greatest joys, and consequently, separation, betrayal or death of a loved one, which brings us our greatest sorrow, and unfortunately it’s inevitable. Even if our love has no imperfections, it cannot overcome death, or can it? That’s up to the reader to decide…

The title of the poem is another small tribute to the great poet from Saint Lucia, Derek Walcott. His short poem with the same title ‘Love After Love’ is one of my favourite, all time poems. Here is this gem if you’d like to read it