Member-only story
Mama, Can I Go Over There?
Poetry
“Mama, can I go over there?” the daughter pointed towards Ali’s magical painting.
“Could I lie amongst its yellows
while the sun smiles down at me?
Could I feel the bliss of carefreeness
as I listen to its enchanted melodies?
Could I float across its river
and soar throughout its skies?
Climb up on its orange trees
and taste its juicy delight?”
The young woman’s mother nervously twiddled her thumbs and said,
“Look closely, my child,
there are jagged lines and steep steps in between.
Do you really want to enter a fairy tale land with such unknown twists lying at your feet?”
The girl sighed and began kicking away stones. At first her mother was silent but then grew close.
“I don’t want you to get hurt in your fantasies. Life is unfair, just look at your father and me.”
“Mama, if I slip and fall into the dark lines
I’ll still find a way to get back up
and blend into the beautiful colours of life
The shades of blue in the waters and skies
The patches of green and specks of orange
They don’t hide when they see the dark lines
So why should I?”
When I saw Ali’s painting, the colours spoke to me in significant volumes, but so did the black path and lines in between. Sometimes we fear the unknown, but Ali’s painting shows me that if we fear the unknown and refuse to step into it, we may miss out on experiencing the magical side of life.
Thank you Yana Bostongirl and Ali for this collaborative prompt:
