It's a little dusty here, it's a little dry. Nothing more than my life experiences all intertwined.

Drift along the sun-drenched Dusi River with two friends lost in a world of mulberry dreams and marmalade skies. As reality blurs and memories intertwine, they journey towards a horizon painted with the colours of their shared hopes and joys.

A haunting lyric poem that delves into the depths of grief and longing. The speaker grapples with the echoes of a lost love and a life that feels out of sync. Stone walls whisper secrets, and the sky's cold gaze reflects tears unshed. Amidst the pain, there's a yearning for solace, for a moonlit path leading to a place where shadows hold no sway.

[This poem won in the Poetic Pulse Awards: Emerging Voices: Noir Results] Judged by @IrenicJ_stories : Thank you. This poignant poem explores the complexities of Alzheimer's disease through the lens of a loving child witnessing their mother's language deteriorate. Inspired by a moment of linguistic ingenuity where the word "clouds" becomes "sky pieces," the poem delves into themes of memory, loss, resilience, and the enduring power of love. It contrasts the academic study of language with the lived experience of its disintegration, ultimately finding beauty and poetry in the fragments left behind.

A romance micro-moment. This piece's unique blend of scientific reference, poetic language, and micro-moment exploration, positions it as a work that transcends traditional romance narratives, appealing to readers seeking depth, introspection, and sensory-rich storytelling.

❝Do you know how to bake a pumpkin pie?❞ ••• It is Harvest season in Evelyn's town and she has the perfect recipe for a pumpkin pie. ⋅ ──────────── ⋅ TW: DEATH, GORE, GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF DEATH WC: 4200 ©sulkytae

This is for those who lost or found their voices. This is for those who could and could not breathe. This is for anyone who is stuck or escaped the dismal abyss of all-consuming emptiness. This is a reminder; a representation of the hardships we collectively face in our separate lives, on opposite parts of the globe. A gentle nudge to the fact that change is constant. Whether it is positive or negative, the outcome depends on you. Only you hold that power to be able to see beyond and into your future. Make it count. I promise you, it is worth it.

I hope for the future; when the past ceases to exist wholly. But that is a disconnected thought, is it not? Yet at the same time, what a wonderful solution that would be.

A WATTYS SHORTS WINNER: POETRY CATEGORY #1 in Poems #1 in Poetry A collection of poetry about the most powerful feeling in the world. Love hurts, but love heals. Love shatters, but love fixes what's broken. Cover by @salemkeating