“Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.”
I consider these words as I try to trace our journey, from the first awkward introduction to now. I’m trying to figure out how we got here, how every soul baring conversation, every round of banter, every unexpected adventure, every conflict of interest, every heavy silence, and all the spaces in between could have possibly led to here.
I trusted in the beginning, trusted that it was the right beginning, but time has a way of blurring all the lines. Now I don’t know, when did it really begin? Was it when I was the only one who laughed at your bad joke, or was it the first time we dared to let our walls down for each other? Or was it all preordained, a beginning that we had no hand in making? I tell myself the ending at least is up to us, but I know that’s a lie. For I could no more choose when my heart – or yours – decides this is the end than I could move the clouds at my will.
Merril on dVerse hosted Prosery, where she challenged us to write a piece of prose, no more than 144 words long, containing the quote this post begins with, which is a line from Jo Harjo’s poem “A Map to the Next World”. I failed the challenge spectacularly, first by being unable to trim my words any further and secondly by posting this about three days late. But rather than just being an answer to a prompt, this piece became more personal and broke me a little while writing, so I thought I’d keep it for myself on the blog anyway.
Edit: Merril advised that since my piece was too long for Prosery, I can submit it for Open Link Night at dVerse, so that’s what’s happening now.
Photo from Unsplash.
Musings by Mubashshira 
It’s a lovely, thoughtful reflection on relationships, or a relationship, I suppose. I’m so pleased my prompt got you writing.
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Thank you Merril, I’m glad you liked it 💕
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I didn’t count the words, but if it’s really too long, you can share it tonight for Open Link Night instead.
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Thanks Merril – is the link for Open Link Night online already? I can’t seem to find it! Or is this the live event?
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It’s up now. Lillian is hosting. dVerse always posts at 3 PM, Eastern Time. The live OLN is on the 24th.
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Trust is paramount … and can be fleeting. Nice writing!!!
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Thank you Helen! 🙂
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Beautiful writing….the ending is exquisite. So glad you had the opportunity to post it at OLN!
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Thanks Lillian, so glad you read it 🙂
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Excellent take on the ptompt, stirring to read… 👍
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Thank you Rob, I’m glad you read it 🙂
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So poignant and introspective, allowing the conflicts and contradictions to settle in. I especially loved the closing lines, “For I could no more choose when my heart – or yours – decides this is the end than I could move the clouds at my will.” Sit with this and I think you will see that because there is no beginning and no end, then every time is a beginning and an end, a chance to put away old hurts and begin with a fresh heart. May those clouds align in your favor ~Jason
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Thank you for that lovely, thoughtful comment Jason 🙏🏽
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You are quite welcome!
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Sometimes relationships can be incredibly hard to resolve. Thought-provoking!
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They certainly can. Thanks for reading, Ingrid!
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I love how you used the quote… and I think many times a love story just happens
… and frankly, it seems worse if it had all been well planned and organized
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Thanks Björn, I’m glad you read it! You’re right, sometime we just have to let things be.
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This is wonderfully penned! Beginnings and ending are so impromptu that the lines blur; every beginning follows an end and an end leads to another beginning and at the end of the day we can always smile at the sad ending or let me just put it as a new beginning, however hard it may have been at that point of time.
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Thank you for reading! You’re right, life is cyclical in that way 🙂
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