Red
I wanted to gift you a story. The story would be sunsets over the desert; trees in Asian rainforest; a sky full of stars far from the city.
I would scent the story with the finest oils. Strew it with rose petals and pomegranate seeds. Kiss it.
I wanted to gift you a story.
I wanted to gift you a story but the sun never rose in that desert. The trees in the forest were amputated stumps. The stars screamed to the ground; smashed like glass.
I wanted to gift you a story so I took what I had: star-fragments; dead leaves; darkness. I scattered it with rose petals. Each petal sprouted thorns and pricked me all over. Instead of pomegranate seeds the story was strewn with drops of my blood.
Roberta Chloe Verdant lives in Devon, where she facilitates creative writing workshops. She likes the ocean, eating vegan ice-cream & dancing barefoot.