RECIPROCAL | NATURE PROMPT

The Messengers

A flying river that worked as a link

They went back to their nests to store food and take some rest. Their wings needed a break, but their detectors were awake.

There is a woman down there that breathes stressfully today. Her lungs and her diaphragm send very fast the air away.

The grass under her body is about to dry up. She transmits dehydration through her blurred mind’s map.

How did this happen, really? She usually does a different exchange. We interact with her every Sunday. Her thoughts vibrate in wider range.

It is a moment of crisis. She is trapped in a colourless net. We need to be the flying reminder of life’s wider palette.

They looked at each other, decoding sounds and head-moving. “Should we change her mind? Are one-sided acts really freeing”?

They’re not, so we’ll just give a signal by passing by. It’s up to her how she’ll utilize the message, the sound, the why.

They got ready at the same time, being synchronized spontaneously. “3, 2, 1, let’s do it, my friends. Let’s send the message simultaneously”.

She thought it was a sudden and loud rustling of leaves, but then she saw it coming; a flying river of melancholy’s thieves.

They were approaching decisively, focused on her third eye. She felt a sudden inner need to experience a cathartic cry.

The “river” was split in two right before her forehead. The birds passed next to her temples, surrounding her head.

She turned around and looked at them as the two rivers became one behind her back, continuing upwards as if they returned to the Sun.

They drew a link in the air, and she followed it irresistibly, opening up the eyesight‘s range, leading to “I’m sure” instead of “possibly”.

A flourishing garden germinated at once in her mind that flashed momentarily and she remembered ancient Laws that bring up clarity unwarily.

Her breath became calmer and slow as she inhaled the echo of that incident. Her lungs welcomed the ray of light that ended selective memory’s imprisonment.

She touched the wet grass, and then she looked around; She saw the trees, she felt their roots and lied down on the ground.

She stayed there long enough to absorb the core of their offer. Messengers may leave, but their message stays for ever.

Birds are of those creatures that can keep my attention for a long time without provoking boredom in me. When I observe them, I am in contact with the pure spontaneity of nature.

Α few days ago, I was sitting on the grass of a nice park. It was a consciously chosen moment for personal time. My purpose was simply to be there and observe; others, myself, the environment. It was not one of the best days of my life, so, my mood was a bit low.

At some point, I noticed a flock of birds that seemed to be coming towards me. They were flying much higher than me, but — for some reason — I experienced the moment in my own way, as if they were very close.

The sound of their fluttering sounded next to my ears (or inside my head…). They seemed determined to get close to me. Or, at least, that’s what I thought. When they were above me — as if they were touching a notional axis that started from my head — I felt my chest expanding and my mind becoming brighter and lighter; an unnecessary weight had been shed.

I continued looking at them as they walked away, realizing that my mood had been transformed in seconds. All the thoughts that swirled in my mind before arriving to the park, were suddenly so clearly sorted, that they left room for a calmer management of my mood.

The birds’ passage was brief, but that fluttering also happened inside me, leaving its meaningful mark.

A few days later, Sahil Patel had the inspiration to prompt us in a very beautiful way:

"Imagine sitting in a peaceful spot outdoors, surrounded by trees and open sky. As you focus your gaze on the branches and bushes, colourful birds appear, hopping and fluttering about. Describe the feelings that arise as you observe these delicate creatures in their natural habitat — the sense of wonder, the calmness that washes over you, and the connection you feel to the world around you. Explain how these moments of birdwatching bring a sense of joy and serenity to your heart, making you appreciate the beauty of nature in a whole new way.”

Here is the whole post about the prompt:

So, a poem was born for that synchronicity.

Here is a moving poem that touched me a lot, and it’s written by Rui Alves:

Iva Hotko is back to Medium, and I am really happy about it. Here is a great piece of her work:

If you swim in Instagram’s ocean, you’ll find me somewhere here, on a raft like the one Odysseus had. ♾️ Anthi Psomiadou — CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International : Credit must be given to the creator/ Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted/ No derivatives