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Fiction Drama

(Author's note: this piece is experimental. Enjoy it as a story-length poem.)


No one loves Caeshin Blithe more than I do. 


“Sunrise to sunset, or suh they say.”

“For forever, not just a day."


From sunrise to sunset, my love will never dwindle. 

But in the darkness of night, 

That’s when it’s most brittle.


And so I became Mrs. Caeshin Blithe.

Enjoying hollow love and midnight’s alone.

It’s not much of a life.

If only that naive little girl had known.


“Nice, eh? The oranges, the reds.”

“Certainly starts the morning ri—” 

“—Reminds me uh'a hotel painting.”

“So to you, our tradition is generic.”

"Nuh, just...fleeting."


Silence may ricochet between us,

But my darling, remember the sun,

Because when it rises,

My tales of infidelity will end,

And nothing will be amiss.

I’ll be yours and you’ll be loved.


Caeshin and tradition.

Each morning, he walks me to the ridge.

This is how we pretend to be normal; suspension.

Of belief? Of fear? Of courage?

But I know too well what he’s hiding. 

And when light peeks over the mountain, my heart sinks.

Our relationship just continues cracking.


“Done! At this rate, yuh’ll never beat me.”

“I never assume to. Coffee?”

“Black. And wouldn't mind some breakfast tuh.”

“Sorry, Caes. I’m just too tired to—” 

“—No competition. No breakfast. Morning’s gone tuh shit.”

“Caes—”

“—Hold the coffee; I’ll buy my own.”

“Caeshin—”


When the space between us is greatest,

I hope you take some time,

I hope you accept the distance,

Because we'll always realign.

When you really believe I'm gone,

That's when I've met my limit,

I'll be there at dawn,

Ready to commit.

And it will last, for a time.


Another chill morning, another sunrise. 

But this time he doesn’t speak. 

He doesn’t marvel over the lake covered in ice.

He doesn’t compare it to something mundane, or bleak.

We stand on either side of the ridge.

Hands in pockets, eyes on the sky, we watch.

I want to ask why, to repair the damage.

But I fear a confrontation might be too harsh.

So I'll just stand here.

And wait for him to read the atmosphere.


“Have’tuh work.”

“On a weekend?”

“I’m the only one bringing any income.”

“I’ve been looking for something. Really, I...just go.”

“Nuh later than dinner. I’ll make sure uh’it.”

“Don’t bother. Knowing you, it’s a promise you can’t keep.”

“Funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

“Yuh never are.”


It’s behind me. 

The women, the nights of abandon.

My heart's running on empty.

Trust me this time, hun,

I’m really done. 

With the lies,

I’ve fallen out of my pattern,

Because I’m tired of our division.


Those eyes follow me. 

It’s a tactic he uses to get my attention.

But these days, I’m especially gloomy.

I don’t have the energy to entertain him.

I don’t have the willpower to pretend.

His decisions are catching up.

And my disbelief, I can't suspend.


“Lunch?”

“Ate a few hours ago.”

“Eat with me, then?”

“Can’t. I have to send out my résumés.”

“Let me help yuh—”

“Caes. Please. I can do it on my own.”


Between the hatred and the sorrow,

I know I don’t deserve you,

Because I pin deep into the marrow,

And you endure what I sew.

My darling, just don’t leave me.


Roses.

With flowers, comes guilt.

I lay them out with no vase.

And hope they wilt.


“Could we sit and talk fuh a moment?”

“Caes, I’ve been patient but—”

"—Then I'll be blunt."


I'm sorry.

It's you and you only.


So maybe I'm scared.


You're loved.


He wraps me up in his arms at night,

Reminding me he’s here, begging me to say we’re alright.


“Tomorrow, I’ll make breakfast.”

"Whatever.”

“Darling, I’ll make it fuhr you."


I’ve made mistakes, of that I know,

But being with you makes me want to try, 

And reminds me how I love you so,

Please, don't let there be a goodbye.


Our tradition has changed,

From sunrise to sunset,

He’s trying to end this war we’ve waged,

He’s trying to make an impression,

And just for these few moments, I let him.


“Quite the chill in the air, eh?”

“I hadn’t noticed. Haven’t been outside at all.”

“Then I think it’s about time yuh took a break, right?”

“I really can’t. This job...there are deadlines I have to make.”

“I’m proud’uh yuh, yuh know? Fuhr putting yuhrself out there. Fuhr finding something.”

“Thanks, Caes. That means a lot...”


For now, we’re treading,

But I feel the connection,

Even if it’s slow, it’s returning.

To days of blissful perfection,

From months of anxiety,

I’ll remain at your side,

The way I should be.


He dangles his legs in the water.

And ignores my warnings of frostbite.

Instead, reminding me of a time much sweeter.

When I was more polite.

And he was still a keeper.

But something about his tone is enough.

It makes me a dreamer.

Wishing for a previous time.


“Remember the first time I went night-fishing?”

“Damn near drowned.”

“And that smell clung tuh me fuhr days. Like rotted fish.”

“Hard to forget that affair.”

“Af—affair, right. It was…”

“Simpler times. Except, they’re stuck in the past.”

“That’s why we’ll start over!”

“Maybe. I’m not so sure anymore.”

“We can duh it. We can.”


Your carefully crafted lips are mine,

The heart that aches after me, too,

It’s possessive and it’s wrong, and crosses a line,

Many lines. But I have a heart that calls for you.

Promises are shallow,

But I’ll still make them as long as you’ll listen,

Because it’s all I know,

Let me provide a reason,

For you to step back into this hell,

The one that I created.


We’ve fallen into an old pattern, because that’s what we do.

One where he decides our terms, and I raise no objection.

We’ll sit in silence, just us two. 

And our feelings will grow to obsession.

At the peak, he’ll pull away.

From me, from us, from this.

At the peak, I’ll choose to stay.

Because he’s someone I dearly miss.

And then I’ll hate him.


“What duh yuh think’uh that?”

“Dinner or the garb?”

“Garb’s part’uh the show!”

“Dinner’s good. But I’m not so sure about the apron...”

“Now yuh just feel free tuh rag on me.”

“We’re not there yet, are we? Banter, teasing…”

“Uh. Nuh, I suppose not… Apron’s gone. I’ll take it off.”

“This doesn’t get easier, does it?”


Pain forged a wedge,

And always does.

But I won’t corner you on the edge,

This time, our obsession won’t break us.

I promise, and there they go again,

Those words that hurt you,

That don’t mean anything.


And then I’m alone.

The bed is cold.

He’s stopped coming home.

I thought this time we’d hold.

But I’m known for wishful thinking.

I’m known for overcommitting.


“Babe, it was nothing. Helped a mate.”

“No, Caeshin. Stop lying. God, this is crazy. I’m crazy.”

“We went out on the lines. All of us!”

“In the middle of the night? With who?!”

“W-with…”


Just believe me, this once,

Because I’m not lying.

We were there, doing due diligence.

The lines were…


“Yuh’re right.”


Our obsession never broke us.

Our relationship never got that far.

I’m the one who ruined this.

I’m the shattered jar.


It was never the same woman.

Even if it were, she couldn’t mean a thing.

I could never love her.

She’d just be another fling.


Scared. I’m scared.


I’m scared of commitment. 

Just be with me.

Scared of vulnerability.

I won’t ever have to see.

Scared of myself.

You don’t know what I’ve done.


“I’m afraid I’m tuh broken.”


And leaving?


It’s the only thing that can happen.


He’s alone.

Beneath the pale light and blackened sky, our tradition is broken.

And in the hole he carved in the ice, our gazes dance.

Together, we watch the moon reflect on the water.

Together, we release our love.

Together, we say goodbye. 


Together, but alone.

November 15, 2020 00:05

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30 comments

Lina Oz
06:23 Nov 15, 2020

Ummmmm, excuse me? Who gave you permission to literally pull this incredible, poem-like story-like hybridity of perfection? Like what?? This has got to be one of my favorites of yours, if not THE favorite. This was such a unique poem structure...but also not completely a poem. There was such a strong narrative and story behind it, too, which just left me breathless. There are two parts that just HIT me. First, this one, which is just unbelievably beautiful poetry: Your carefully crafted lips are mine, The heart that aches after me, t...

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Molly Leasure
20:41 Nov 17, 2020

Oh my gosh, way to come in here and just blush me up with compliments!! I'm going to be honest, I'm glad those parts hit you because I rewrote them like 129420394 times and still wasn't happy with them (I'm still iffy on the first one, haha). But if you like them, I'll keep them! You and me both. That second section you mentioned is exactly how I felt with my first boyfriend. I kept telling myself to stay with him because I liked him and I'd miss him, but everytime I did, I would just hate him so much. I guess that's part of where this st...

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Lina Oz
18:22 Nov 19, 2020

OMG ARE YOU ME?? Yeah same story, except with my second. AH YOU HAVE A SKILL WITH TUGGING THE HEARTSTRINGS. This one definitely got to me and I love those stories. It also was so validating, too––like, I'm not alone in this world! Okay I am definitely reading that one as soon as I can.

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Molly Leasure
23:51 Nov 21, 2020

I MIGHT BE?!!! THANK YOU!!! I'm thinking of doing another heartstring ripper kind of story...but I'm not sure, yet. These prompts haven't inspired much in me...:(. You're definitely not alone!! We're all here having painful lives, haha.

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Tom .
00:30 Nov 15, 2020

Is it prounced cash-in? I really liked this. It is a very strong piece. The broken rhyming flow is fine. In fact you can break it more. In some places the rhyming is simply lovely... "Our obsession never broke us. Our relationship never got that far. I’m the one who ruined this. I’m the shattered jar." In other places it feels forced, " “And yuh had tuh spend an hour scrubbing the smell from my hair.” “How could I ever forget that whole affair?” " This is a personal piece that you control. My only real advice is only change what feels...

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Molly Leasure
01:07 Nov 15, 2020

Haha nooooo! It's more like Kay-shin. I 100% agree with you. I've been reading and rereading the dialogue (because I think that's where the rhyming is most awkward) and I think I'm going to just trash the rhyming in it altogether. People don't rhyme when they speak, except unconsciously or extremely intentionally. It's just weird, haha. BUT OH MY GOSH, I can't believe you've already come through and read this! Thank you :). Your flattery is well taken! And your advice!

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Tom .
01:26 Nov 15, 2020

Don't destroy every rhyme... I had just uploaded my latest story and was looking for ideas for a second...

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Molly Leasure
01:29 Nov 15, 2020

Ahhhh, I do that sometimes, too, haha. I'll have to get a read in on your new story later :)!

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Tom .
01:37 Nov 15, 2020

Please do, I thought I was experimenting with something new, until I read yours!!!

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Molly Leasure
01:25 Nov 15, 2020

THERE, dialogue rhyming is NO MORE. But I still need to edit some of the other rhyming...

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01:29 Nov 26, 2020

Truly exceptional in every sense.

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Molly Leasure
22:08 Nov 28, 2020

Thank you! I'm glad you think so :)!

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Zinnia Hansen
17:44 Nov 25, 2020

There is such voice and subtlety in this! It's intimate yet abstract. So beautiful! "This time, our obsession won’t break us." Wow. I actually wrote a piece of long form poetry as well for this prompt. I think there is something inherently poetical about the rhythm of the day and how it is broken.

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Molly Leasure
22:07 Nov 28, 2020

Thank you so much :). I'm glad you enjoyed it! I agree with you. I think days (sunrise to sunset) and time just lend themselves to poetry. They're constants in life, so you can break them into pieces almost naturally!

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Zinnia Hansen
01:23 Nov 29, 2020

That's a beautiful way of putting it:)

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Ray Dyer
03:19 Nov 21, 2020

Hi, Molly! Really enjoyed this one, and I can see from the comments that I'm not alone! Since it's such a poetic short story, it feels right to call out some of the poetic lines that just kept me reading and reading. The line about "silence ricochets between us" is one of the most beautiful I've read. It's such a perfect combination of words, and it fits so well. And, of course, this line jumped right out at me: "And my disbelief, I can't suspend." There were more than lines, though. The scene with the roses, and how she lines...

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Molly Leasure
00:01 Nov 22, 2020

Hi, Ray! Thank you so, SO very much!!! I'm honestly so glad that everyone has been enjoying this piece so much because I was a little hesitant about posting it. I wasn't entirely happy with it, and a lot of the rhythm feels weird to me (I'm a very big rhythm writer if that makes sense?). But I'm also glad I left the level of rhyming where it is. You would have hated it if you read some of the rhymes before. I know I did xD! And I'm really glad you noticed the change in pacing and style at the end because I was hoping everyone would see i...

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Ray Dyer
01:25 Nov 22, 2020

Absolutely! That came through to me perfectly!

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Molly Leasure
21:56 Nov 24, 2020

Phew!! Perfect then, haha!

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Lani Lane
19:41 Nov 18, 2020

Oh my goodness!!! I know this is a short story site, but I really do hope you take the liberty of writing more poetry with the prompts. This was so creative and beautiful! This seriously makes me want to consider a poetry piece for a prompt someday. Also, the fact that you made so much of it rhyme, too.... talk about DIFFICULT. I started to go through and list all my favorite lines but there are too many and I think it would be a bit ridiculous to just copy and paste the entire story into this comment. ;) I do thoroughly enjoy the repeti...

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Molly Leasure
22:06 Nov 18, 2020

Hey, I can still claim this one is a short story ;). It has the elements!!!! And as long as the poetry tells a full story, I don't see anything wrong with considering it a short story. So, I say go for it!!! Poetry is one of those things that is so very open-ended, you could really claim anything with rhythm poetry. Ahhhh! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. After you said you liked the poetry on Drowned in Black, I thought about it and was like...I should try a more full poem story. ARGH. Those darn resumes...I'll fix that right away!...

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Lani Lane
22:58 Nov 18, 2020

That is such a good point!!! YES please write more poetry, you are so talented at it!! Also your comment "I always feel angry at my pieces when they have mistakes" WHAT MISTAKES??? I have to seriously comb through every words because I can never be helpful because you write/edit so well..... :)

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Molly Leasure
23:40 Nov 21, 2020

Haha! Well, I'll have to see where the prompts lead me! YOU JUST HAVEN'T SEEN MY FIRST DRAFTS!!! You would understand if you did. Mini-memory: I was once editing one of my stories and for some reason, I had continuously replaced the word "bed" with "blood." So I had sentences reading: "She sat down on the blood." "She got out of blood." "She made her blood." I guess I should have known thrillers were in my blood right there and then. (Blood jokes? Yikes...)

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Rayhan Hidayat
13:40 Nov 17, 2020

Very very unique. I’m amazed by how smoothly some of the rhyming bits flowed. I really really love how all the speech has corrupted spelling, which juxtaposes the beautiful poetry sections. Kinda different to the sci-fi ridiculousness I expect from you but still awesome! Kudos 😙

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Molly Leasure
20:51 Nov 17, 2020

And how smoothly some of the other rhymes did NOT ;). Thank you!! I was thinking it was too pleasant on the ears. To make it realistic, it needed to hurt sometimes. Haha! Yeah, I seem to be in a failing romance mood this week...xD

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N. N.
08:49 Nov 17, 2020

"Promises are shallow, But I’ll still make them as long as you’ll listen, Because it’s all I know, Let me provide a reason, For you to step back into this hell, The one that I created." Stark and cold, the bittersweet truth. A story-length poem that contains a whole story, as well as a bucket-full of emotions? Ahh, I doubt if this can be considered as experimental, but since you have, let's just say that it's remarkably lovely!!

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Molly Leasure
20:48 Nov 17, 2020

Thank you so much!!!! I suppose I considered it experimental because I wanted to work outside the perimeters of other writing by having three different styles mixed together. Poetry, storytelling, and dialogue. And I'm very happy to hear the emotions came through ;). Thank you again!

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Sam Reeves
19:47 Nov 16, 2020

I LOVE this! The mixture of poetry and dialogue is just wonderful and i love the poetry near the end where it's almost a conversation - phwoar that made goosebumps! It all felt so real and intimate. The goosebumps arent stopping and I'm speechless! What an incredible experiment! Well done

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Molly Leasure
20:45 Nov 17, 2020

Thank you so much!!! I'm glad the ending part came across as a conversation! I wanted it to without it being a real conversation. So, that makes me really happy :). And I'm glad I was able to provide some goosebumps ;). We need those every now and again. Thank you, thank you!

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Molly Leasure
00:07 Nov 15, 2020

As I mentioned above, this is an experimental piece. And I know it's a weird one. But I hope it's enjoyable all the same. If it doesn't flow quite right, it likely wasn't meant to. It wasn't written with a perfect timeline! But critiques are still welcome :). Note: I wrote it as Caeshin, but I pronounce it as Cǣshin. Does that help? Likely not ;).

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