M.K. Lee's Blog: Telling Tales, page 103
December 13, 2019
Bauble
I’m holding a clear glass bauble in my hands.
Inside is a cherished memory of my time with you,
When I was a small sailship, navigating unmanned.
I’m holding a frosted glass bauble in my hands.
Its surface is pitted with your words
And inside, once sharp images are blurred,
And rounded as though blasted by sand.
I’m holding a broken glass bauble in my hands.
How could I have been so very wrong about its contents?
Not a single word you said was ever meant.
And there was nothing to any of the...
December 11, 2019
Umbrella
Today I sheltered under an umbrella,
A shield raised against I miss yous and I want you backs.
Just one would have made my strained skin sizzle,
And in they’d crawl, as it bleeds and cracks.
It’s a little late now for pleasantries.
The empty words have carved and marked this track.
And there’s only one I miss you that I’d let through.
But it’s the one I will always lack.
Winter Tales – Light
“Do you remember when it would stay light until almost ten o’clock?” Max says, glancing out their window as he lowers himself into the bath.
“Yeah. Just a few months ago,” Matthias agrees, pulling a chair to sit beside him and holding out a beer once he’s settled.
“Why does it always feel like it’s never going to be light again in the middle of winter?”
“Because you’re maudlin, had a long day, and need some sun?”
“Good thing we’re going on holiday in January then, right?” Max says, arching...
December 10, 2019
Letting Go to Start Over – Chapter 1
Hello, here’s the first of a three chapter story.
Alan needs a start-over. A new job, in an unknown place, far away from an unrequited love that he needs to get over if he’s ever going to live his own life.
The freshness of the breeze, the crunch of dirt beneath his feet, the horizon dotted with a hundred twinkling lights; this is Alan’s home now. And though he does not have a particular base yet, has accepted a job offer without thinking of anything but starting over, being able to...
December 9, 2019
You deserve better
You would not believe the number of times I’ve heard the phrase: you deserve better.
True: I am a magnet to all manner of manipulative, persuasive people.
But the problem with being told you deserve better over, and over, and over, is that you’ve grown to know that it is a phrase that’s sometimes well meant, but incomplete.
See, what it really means, is you deserve better – from other people.
Said by those who are happy to cheer you on and half-fight your corner when others are doing you...
Winter Tales – Melt
“Alright. How long is this thing gonna take to melt?”
Max’s smile is one of indulging patience that leaves Matthias prodding him in the thigh. “Not long.”
“I just… drop this thing in the milk?”
Max smiles again, holding up the stick with the block of chocolate on the end then stirring it into his cup. “Like this.”
“Don’t we have a shelf full of hot chocolate?”
“Not like this.”
Matthias watches the swirl of chocolate leaving a trail through his milk, glancing over to see the heart Max is...
December 8, 2019
Whatever Comes First
Matthew isn’t looking for a relationship. Ask him, and he’ll say it’s because between work and studying there’s just no time. Ask his best friend, Sarah, and the story is a little different and involves a failed relationship that left him raw.
Enter Joel, a childhood friend of Sarah’s recently back in the area. He’s not looking for love, either, but he’s not averse to the idea of a little fun. Uncomplicated and on the same page: what could possibly go wrong?
Buy Whatever Comes First.
December 7, 2019
Under My Skin
If I let you in, you’ll burrow through sinew and skin
And rip me asunder.
If I let you under my skin, you’ll see I’m rotten through with sin,
For all I’ve broken. Sullied. Plundered.
If you win, succeed in penetrating my skin,
You’ll realise just how worthless I really am,
And my skin, recoiling from someone so pure, bright, and blinding,
Will boil, burst and bleed. And you will understand
That the skin of a worthless man
Does not deserve your eyes, your arms, your hands.
And finally, your...
Winter Tales – Desolate
The streets are desolate. Matthias smiles as he watches the curtains of the neighbour opposite twitching as he and Max dig a path out to get their car off the drive.
“Who’d have thought two guys out in the snow would be a source of gossip?” Max asks getting his attention, then nodding to show he is looking at the same house.
“Poor old bat doesn’t get out much. We must be the highlight of her week,” Matthias replies, turning and waving enthusiastically until the curtain gets violently pulled...
December 6, 2019
Solitary
It is only if you looked into the depths of the poorly lit pub that you would see him.
In the corner at the back of this near-empty establishment is a small alcove, or snug if you will, lined with weighty tomes, heavily-varnished oak panelling and thick, dusty green curtains.
He sits prone, legs outstretched on the old leather sofa with a well-thumbed book on his knee and a bookmark in his hand that he absentmindedly taps a rhythm with on the back of the sofa.
His head is turned toward the...
