Énouement – 16th August 2025

The past is a room seen from outside,
with a one-way door, immovable;
I tried to whisper across the divide
but my truths then were not provable.

I watched the days wearing thin,
exchanged for worries worn on my brow;
Choosing to let so little light in
until knowing the things I know now.

My story, at last, has been laid flat
by the wisdom I’ve accumulated;
of discovery I was always where I was at
and feeling so frustrated.

All along I held the design,
as flawed as it may have been;
All the sorrows are still mine
now I’ve seen all the things I’ve seen.

Written for the W3 weekly prompt #172 using the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Énouement n.
the bittersweetness of having arrived here in the future, finally learning the answers to how things turned out but being unable to tell your past self.

French énouer, to pluck defective bits from a stretch of cloth + dénouement, the final part of a story, in which all the threads of the plot are drawn together and everything is explained. Pronounced “ey-noo-mahn.”

Duality – 10th January 2025

Image by Chris Rawlins

The dawn fog settles
Honour-bound, two figures stand
Their fates soon revealed
Both fell in thunderous fire
Bittersweet, the lady faints

A tanka for Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – Bittersweet


Today I’m feeling:

Ok but I can’t talk properly. I feel like I have a mild cold but not that bad really. A little fuzzy in the head.

I got up at around 7 am and sent messages to school and work to my students to do in my absence. I went back to bed at around 8 and ended up with some nice, extra enjoyable sleep.

I got up for lunch, took some medicine and now out for my first and only coffee for the day. I may sleep more yet!

Health:

Physical: 7
Mental: 7

Today I’m grateful for:

More medicine from the local pharmacy and when I arrived there, the pharmacist was petting a street seller’s really cute dog, so of course I had to spend a minute petting too.

The best thing about today was:

Reading, lots of reading!

Something I learned today?

I hit up Kru John about the possible change of director at school but all he knew was that it’s the sub-director who will change.