She shreds the cloak of past trauma. She defies present challenges.
Then, she stops fighting. She treasures her newfound peace.
A trace of sadness lingers somewhere within; the remnant is part of her now. If she lets that go, she’d be incomplete. She wouldn’t know how to grieve for herself.
Shanti Chandrasekhar writes and lives in Maryland. Her work has appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine, Braided Way, Literary Mama, The Washington Post, and elsewhere.
Very moving.
Thank you so much for reading my piece…and for your comment.
So many emotions packed in few sentences. The trauma, the fight , the survival and finding courage to make peace with all that! That’s the only way to move on, still acknowledging the scars as part of her life! Wow! My respect.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment….
Beautifully executed, as always, Shanti. I love the quiet, understated quality to your writing.
Thanks so much, Râna! Coming from you, it means a lot…. I love your writing!
Beautifully expressed.
Thanks so much, Carol.
WOW! This resonated for me from the first sentence, and kept me close. It does what the best writing does. It gives my experience of life a rich patina. Beautiful work Shanti!
Thank you so very much!