Ladybird, black spots on crimson red in the grass she crawls. By contemplating time and the space in which she lives, her future appears to me by denudation; I see obstacles in her way, dangers she will face. Should I permit her freedom to choose her way, even if she chooses the way of hardship and a spider’s web? I attempt to warn and guide her by closing doors with twigs and mud, but blood seeps from her knees as I become the anathema. So I retreat to let her lose or win, and in the grass she crawls away as blood seeps from my knees. God, let her win.
About the Creator
Pamela Williams
“Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.”
— Psalm 139:9–10, Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Keep reading
More stories from Pamela Williams and writers in Poets and other communities.
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH7 days ago in Critique
Comments (2)
I admire your depth. It's as simple as that. Always smile like this.
Oh my gosh, I love this! "but blood seeps from her knees as I become the anathema. So I retreat to let her lose or win, and in the grass she crawls away as blood seeps from my knees. God, let her win." Damn. I've never felt so much emotion for a fated bug before. I cannot imagine how you pulled this out of your lovely imagination; it's such a small thing, such a forgettable occurrence, yet you blow it up larger than life, and so utterly beautifully. You capture the God-like ability we have to hinder or help a small creature's path toward life so well here, that question of, "Should I let it continue as nature would intend in my absence, or does my presence assume my help too?" I adore how deep this micro story is. You're so talented!