Take me there, where nothing is familiar,
And everything, an adventure.
Where foreign languages swirl around us,
Exotic music spilling into the streets.
A world away from fear,
So deeply entrenched, we dare not risk,
Leaping, falling…breaking.
Take me there, faith restored,
And dare me to do something we shouldn’t.
They all won’t be sad, promise.
And for those of you who have already read this one, apologies for the repeat. It’s just, I took the first bite of my apple…
—
Mushy apples, wet peanut butter, cigarette smoke.
Plastic straws, caged animals, tree stumps.
Distended bellies, oppressed souls, false hope.
Hiccups, parking tickets, splintered wood.
Sirens, screeching brakes, raised fists.
Apathy, the sound of pain, someday I should.
You deserve the best, cold feet, flights home.
Bad timing, broken promises, empty words.
Twilight, sleeping alone…waking up alone.
Illustration by Heather Horton
* Cover illustration by Ashley Bowersox
Maybe in another lifetime,
Our fates liberated from the confines of continents,
The injustice of timing,
The pre-existence of her and him.
Maybe then… you’d know.
I truly believe that people come into our lives for a reason, at just the right time, to enrich us in some way- to steer us in the right direction, help us realize our potential and remind us to live and love fully.
But there are also times when these lessons are as painful as the reasons are unfathomable. And their messengers, more menacing than we thought humanly possible.
I might never understand why he came into my life and what lessons I was supposed to learn, but I do know this:
These messengers can try to strip us of our dignity, shatter our hearts, and reduce us to ashes.
But they will never steal our fire.
TEXAS
Summoning Magic: A Gypsy's Tale 