Moments
in the past
gone by
forever
And yet
some seem
to retain
a gleaming
Seem to
linger
in memories
forever kept
What makes
that gleaming
stay
I wonder
Is it
a photo taken
a feeling felt
a touch unforgotten
Is it
a time in life
more vulnerable
than another
Is it
a story
we keep on
telling
When such
moments gleam
I sit
and bask
I let them
wash over me
suspended
in time
Prompted by 28 Literary Writing Prompts for February by
#1 — In This is Happiness, Niall Williams writes: “Maybe I didn’t know it then, I’m pretty sure I didn’t. Didn’t know that there are times in a life that pass but retain a gleaming, which means they never die, and the light of them is in you still.”
Prompt: Write about a moment in your life that “retains a gleaming.” Try to focus on the five senses—what does a gleaming feel like? Smell like? Taste like? This will help us avoid lapsing into abstractions or clichés as we try to talk about a moment that still casts a particular glow. Remember, show don’t tell is an adage for a reason—you want the reader to infer/feel that gleaming for themselves.