There was once a little bird and she lived free and explored the world. If someone offered her a crumb she would sing and fly for them to make them smile. Late one spring, she found someone who loved her songs and the shimmering sun on her wings so much he would come every day to his window with crumbs of cake to encourage her back. Some days she came, other days she flew around elsewhere, doing other things. She alighted...

Jack was completely calm. As the nose of his aircraft dipped for the final time, as he saw the ground approaching, as he anticipated the impending impact, he felt no fear. Instead there was a serenity that came not just from a belief in the afterlife, but also a satisfaction that there would be complete closure. No more pain. No more depression. No loose ends. Everything resolved. Climactic perfection. Some on the ground...

I came down from my bedroom hideaway one Saturday morning; a week after I had been up rooted from my school and friends in Haslemere. I had been having trouble making friends in my new school in Kingston and I was sulking. My mum and dad were waiting to surprise me. A small puppy sat on the tiled floor wagging his tail with excitement. He had shiny eyes, a dark brown coat and a white furry chest. I knelt down and stroked...

Mist swirls.Every sense strainsto catch a glimpse. A movement.Spinning towards,Find you smilingAll is well.Then probe too deep.Into the mist vanish.Waiting anxiously.No point in searching;The mist conceals.No way to reach you.Then out of this mist,Returning once more.My heart swells,Concerns war.Should I ask or avoid?Tendrils of mistObscure your eyes.Can't read you.One touchOf a sensitive spotAnd you are gone again.Catchi...

You are a very huge part of me I find it hard to be without thee You hold my heart within your palm I am filled with comfort and with calmYou cuddle me close and kiss me deep I dream of you each night when I sleep You always leave me wanting more I by no means find you’re ever a bore You hold me with a hand on my face I feel you’re love in a lasting embrace You tell me of thing you have done I tell you of pasts and presen...

Finding Home It was October 1968, (according to the Gregorian calendar) Claire sat on the edge of her bed preparing to write a letter to her parents in England. She ran her fingers through her newly cropped brown hair thinking. Her room made of plywood with a wooden frame was part of a series of huts with wooden verandas where the international volunteers were housed, built round a central courtyard, a long way down the h...

It was a year after the Six Day War and so for the first time Israelis could visit Bethlehem, as well as the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall in Jerusalem as the territory was temporarily under Israeli rule. Hitch hiking was the accepted form of travel in Israel for young people who were doing their year’s military service. Many young volunteers also took this chance of traveling for free around Israel and there were...

One content with a simple place, who lives their life with a touch of grace, one who looks beneath the skin and truly sees the spirit within, one not driven by material gain who strives to lessen others’ pain, one that must save when they can but still will share with a poorer man, one that’s quick to give a smile but when seeking truth does take a while, such a person is well worth seeing. They are a special human being.

Sometimes while walking next to you I wonder Whether you want me Or is it that You are so lonely You can’t see me at all Whatever it be I will not let this doubt Over ride me It is maybe just a phase And you will come out With your head raised And happy in your heart You will be When you realise I was always Walking next to thee.

“Come on Rosa,” Esperanza calls from the road hoping her voice will reach over the high wall that guards the house. “Are you ready?” Rosa flings her reboso around her head and shoulders to protect herself from the glaring Mexican sun and emerges from the strong metal door into the dusty street, her plastic sandals flip flopping against her feet. “Remember Rosa, I want to see the painting in Cortes Palace before we meet Co...

My friend says my perception of things has become warped over time. She says any changes in feelings or closeness have been all by me. It’s hard to know when I talk to my friend. I respect her. How can we both be right? My friend is a butterfly full of color and light as air. She brightens a room. Her pollen binding those close to her. I, on the other hand am stoic and joyless. A chameleon who has lost his colors. Unable...

I love living by the sea, I often look out and imagine myself sailing off over the horizon. I could sail the Atlantic and say hello to America, or head due south to explore the many wonders of Africa. If I kept on going, sooner or later the whole world would be within my reach.My ancestors made all those voyages, and what discoveries and adventures they found, what wondrous treasures and knowledge they brought back across...

You need not know my age, my name and you need not know where I come from. You should, however, be familiar with my brief account. The briefest would read; I fell in love. However, that would not express wholly the intense passion which I fell captive to in the year of ‘99. In a charming café, miles away from home, I effortlessly recall each moment I spent with Dakota Roe. Not one wasted. I can confess that I cling cautio...

Boy meets girl Girl meets boy They become close Hanging out, Sharing secrets, Swearing to protect One another Girl marches across The stage; Boy graduates from summer school. They lose contact, Secretly wishing they Will meet again. Several years later, Girl spies boy Via social networking page Boy is happy to hear from her And sees his girl again Girl moved to a different state Boy has girlfriend In same state of his gir...

Last time on Fate-al Attraction:"What do you want to know?" I asked He assessed me, probably wondering if the information he could get from me was reliable. After a minute, he replied, "Everything. From the beginning."  I closed my eyes and said, "So it all started with Faith's Mom..." as I launched into one of the most painful stories I've ever had to tell. Chapter 2: Faith's Point Of View I woke, sweating and panting, t...