Lament

Her Persian rug is an elegy she cannot write. No one would believe how the lush red, edged in green with Turkish horsemen guarding the borders, furls and unfurls at night. In the morning loose threads are scattered. One by one she collects them in a glass bowl that long ago held a goldfish won at a fair during the time when there were still fairs. She will weave the wool strands into a mourning shawl for the next invasion.

 

 

 

Chella Courington is a writer and teacher. She’s the author of three chapbooks of poetry along with three flash fiction chapbooks. Her poetry and stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals including SmokeLong Quarterly, Nano Fiction, and The Collagist. Her novella, The Somewhat Sad Tale of the Pitcher and the Crow, has been launched by Pink.Girl.Ink. Press and is available at Amazon. Born and raised in the Appalachian South, she now lives in Santa Barbara, CA, with another writer and two cats.