Artist: Leonid Afremov

Autumn Leaves

With his waking moment, Aiden senses the fleeting remnants of his dream – of an unknown her – images teasing him. He rubs his eyes – as if this action would pull them back into focus. But, they quickly fade from his mind with quiet laughter. “Damn! – so close this time”, he thinks.

He smiles with a slightly frustrated sigh – the familiar beginning to his day. Each morning – he wakes up purposefully trying to capture the memories of his dreams. “Why do so many of his friends remember their dreams in vivid detail – and not him?” he wonders.

And yet – every now and then his dreams slide open as he wakes – small vivid fragments remain for moments. These fragments always spark creative writing thoughts. “It’s like capturing lightning in a bottle” he laughs to himself. Although he didn’t capture lightning this morning, there is definitely a flash teasing the edges of his mind – he can sense it …just out of reach … something important.

Fighting the natural inertia of his body, he slowly swings his legs over the side of the bed – “almost up”, he smiles. A voice in his head says “sleep in five more minutes – maybe you’ll remember your dream.” Aiden laughs out loud at the thought – a daily argument with himself … and some days he loses. Not today though – he stands up and prepares himself for the day.

A little more awake after a shower and shave, he dresses and then walks into the den. The familiar musky smell of books greets him – he pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath. “Now, who will I read today?” he wonders as he traces his fingers over the book bindings along his bookshelves. He stops at Anna Karenina – “Hmm, wonder why Tolstoy feels right today?”

Aiden pulls the well-worn book off the shelf and opens it. Without looking at the page, he slowly traces his fingers over the words. Feeling their texture as he recites from memory the first line, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

“Such a great first line”, he thinks with a sigh. Closing the book, he absently walks over to the window and opens it to feel the cool autumn breeze. He smiles at the sight of glistening maple leaves still clinging to their branches – defiant to the end – radiant with bold vibrant colors.

The fresh smell of wet leaves waft through the open window and makes him think of coffee – and breakfast at the café. Closing the window, he heads out the door with Anna Karenina firmly in his grasp. Images of a girl unknown momentarily flash through his mind – playing along the edges.

He continues to search his mind as he breathes in the fresh autumn air during his walk through the park. As he nears the café entrance, he feels flashes of her radiate through the book. He tightens his grip on the book, not sure what to make of the sensation. He feels warmth spread through him … and can’t help but smile with anticipation as he steps inside…

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Whisper Branch

He wanders through their woods
Missing her with each step

His fingers dance with the breeze
Expecting her touch

He ponders the swaying branches
Thinking of her fluid motion

He hears the rustling of leaves
Turns, expecting to see her

He stops at their special place
Sits to rest against their tree

He awakes some moments later
Her whisper kiss in his ear

He smiles at the sensation
She is always with him

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Whisper Branch

he walks in their woods
tree branches sway in the breeze
whispering her name

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

First Taste

Shari slowly wakes to the brush of a soft breeze against her skin. Her waking thoughts are with his last words to her, “the first taste of your lips beats in my heart.” As his words play in her mind, she realizes her finger is tracing her lower lip – which brings her a smile. A familiar sensation flows just below her surface – butterflies abound.

Slowly, her mind begins to clear into the now and she feels him slip away. This is the third night in a row she dreamt him. Still, Shari could not remember his name or face. Though she feels she saw him clearly in her dreams, only his words remain in her mind. She feels as if she’s chasing a shadow.

She almost drifts back to sleep, just to feel him again. But, her red cardinal friend in the backyard has other ideas as he sings out a series of musical chirps. “Right”, she smiles and begins to rise – “must get ready for the trip.” She walks through her normal morning wake up ritual – coffee, shower, makeup, dress, quick breakfast … and yet, she knows something is different today – something flowing just below the surface.

With a bit of excitement, she carefully lays out the items she will need to pack. This trip to the forest will be fun, she thinks. As she begins to fill her travel bag, she feels the cool breeze flow in through her open bedroom window – a welcoming whisper from the forest she imagines and smiles at the thought.

With the last item placed just so in her bag, Shari zips it close. A whisper in her ear catches her by surprise and she turns towards the open window to find the source – but she sees no one there. She walks to the window and spots her red cardinal friend sitting contently in his usual branch – just above the bird feeder she set up for him.

As she stares out the window, the last words from her waking dream play in her mind – and she realizes her finger is tracing her lower lip again. She smiles at the thought of his first taste – and begins to sense there is something special about this trip to the forest.

She thinks “so much to explore … and perhaps to chase.”

Share

Chase suddenly wakes to the flapping of the tent canvas – and immediately breathes in his dream thoughts. Not sure if he’s saying the words out loud, they float out as “the first taste of your lips beats in my heart.” Without thinking he grabs his journal and pencil to capture the words before they slip away.

He smiles as they appear on the page, “finally … finally, I remember them”. This is the third night in a row he dreamt her – but the words always faded away just before he could capture them the previous two nights. Still, Chase is slightly frustrated he can not picture her face or remember her name – and he knows she came to him clearly in his dream. She is so tantalizingly close – he can almost taste her – yet, she is just out of reach.

Now a little more awake, he steps outside of his tent and walks down to the lake to wash up. Along the path, he takes in the fresh forest essence and enjoys the soft cool breeze flowing through the trees. Wafting along the breeze, he thinks he hears a soft whisper of words. He laughs slightly as he shakes his head and decides his waking mind must be playing tricks.

He smiles thinking that he came to this forest a week ago to – to what – to clear his mind – to concentrate on his writing. And yet … something keeps distracting him and pulls at his thoughts – especially at night. He never remembered what it was until three nights ago … her – who is she?

And now, he hears whisper words – he almost laughs out loud to himself.

And then … an oddly familiar, yet unknown, sweet voice floats up from the bend in the trail ahead. Where has he heard it before, he wonders? Then, her image slowly begins to take shape in his mind and his heart skips a beat as the dream memory returns.

He clearly hears the whisper words now – a mischievous whisper through the trees, “the forest has something to share.” Without thinking, his finger traces his lower lip…

He thinks, “so much to explore … and to share” – as he continues towards the sweet voice.

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Whisper Heart

A soft breeze flows through her open bedroom window
With whispers from the distant forests she will explore

Her thoughts should be on packing for the adventure
But they wander back to her waking dreams of him

His words flutter under her surface like butterflies
“The first taste of your lips beats in my heart”, he says

She sighs and wonders if he’s the one – will they ever meet?
A voice inside says “yes” – “perfectly irrational”, she thinks

From her backyard, waking chirps from her red cardinal
Pierce her wandering thoughts – “right”, she smiles

With renewed focus, she puts the last items in her bag
And zips it close as the sensation of butterflies returns

She smiles at his touch – as she hears his whispers
This trip will be … will be … so much to explore

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Whisper Heart

first taste of her lips
magical moment cherished
beats within his heart

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Whisper Lake

As she walks alone through the woods
She feels the cool autumn breeze on her skin

A smile as she remembers her grandma’s story
The breeze – kisses from her wood fairy friends

Her mom tried to explain that grandma was gone
But she knew her grandma was now among the fairies

She feels her grandma’s spirit at play on her walk
The way her skirt dances across her knees with each step

She smiles at the familiar sweet smells and sensations
The fragrance emanating from the leaves on the trees

The cool breeze picks up as she nears the shore of the lake
She hears her grandma’s lyrical voice echo along the waves

And as the sun light sparkles along the lake’s surface
She smiles inside to see her grandma in the reflections

With a whisper wind carried along its surface
She hears and returns kisses to her grandma

Hi grandma – yes, I hear you…

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Dream

Slowly turning onto his back and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Adam tries to grasp the shadowy remnants of his dream with his waking mind – but, they quickly fade away. “Damn, I can still feel them – so close”, he thinks. He smiles with a sigh at the beginning of his daily routine. Every morning he wakes up – hoping to capture the memories of his dreams. Why do so many of his friends seem to remember their dreams in vivid detail – and not him, he wonders?

Every now and then he remembers – which always spark creative writing thoughts for him. Capturing lightning in a bottle comes to mind when he thinks of those mornings. But not this morning, though something is definitely teasing the edges of his mind – he can sense it. It’s just out of reach – something important.

Overcoming the natural inertia of his body, he slowly swings his legs over the side of the bed – “almost up”, he smiles. A voice in his head says “sleep in five more minutes – maybe you’ll remember your dream.” Adam almost laughs out loud at the thought – another daily argument with himself … and sometimes he loses. Not today though, as he stands up and heads to the bathroom.

A little later and a little more awake after a shower and a shave, he dresses and walks into the den. The familiar musky smell of books greets him – he pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath. “Who will I read today?” he wonders as he traces his fingers over the bindings of the books along his bookshelves. He stops at Anna Karenina by Tolstoy – “Hmm, wonder why this one feels right today?”

Adam pulls the well-worn book off the shelf and opens it at the first page. He reads aloud, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” With a sigh, “Yes, I always liked that first line”, he thinks. Closing the book, he absently walks over to the window and opens it to feel the cool autumn breeze. He smiles at the sight of glistening maple leaves still clinging to their branches – defiant to the end, radiant with bold and vibrant colors.

The fresh smell of wet leaves waft through the open window and makes him think of coffee – and the cafe. Closing the window, he heads out the door with Anna Karenina firmly in his hand. Thoughts of her form in his mind as he breathes in the fresh autumn air – walking through the park on his way to his favorite café. As he nears the café, he feels something different is afoot … though he’s not sure what … perhaps something he saw in his dream … and for some reason he can’t help but smile at that thought.

Cafe

Walking into the café, Adam spots Angela taking an order from one of the early morning customers. She gives Adam a surprised look and takes a quick glance at the clock on the wall. Adam follows her glance to the clock – yes, he is here earlier than usual today. He smiles at her and starts towards his usual table in the back, but quickly sees that it is occupied.

Well, today will be different he thinks – and takes an empty table near the front. He sits facing the front screen door, laying his book on the table – and begins to read. After a few minutes, Angela comes over with his usual coffee and states the obvious, “You’re here early, Hun.” “Yes, I guess I needed to see you earlier today”, he teases knowing it will make her smile – and it does.

As she already knows what he will order, Angela leaves without asking and Adam returns his attention to Anna Karenina. Albeit at a different table, he slips comfortably into his normal routine – letting the words take him away as the buzz of small talk all around slowly fades away. He is vaguely aware of the soft breeze flowing through the screen door – yes, a comfortable flow.

A sudden gust of wind blows the screen door open, momentarily breaking his flow in Anna’s story. As he looks up towards the door, a vision walks in as if directly out of the pages of his book. Her aura of beauty envelops him on first glance. She starts to glide past him without notice … ah, but then with a flash of recognition “Anna Karenina?” she beams “I love Tolstoy’s stories.”

Without prompting she sits down beside him – and that’s when a shadowy remnant of his dream from last night smiles in his consciousness. They chat over cooling cups of coffee as their story is written. Perhaps, it is predefined destiny that she walks in this day at this time. Perhaps, it is random chance that he brings Anna Karenina with him today.

Whatever the reason, the sweet fragrance of soggy leaves on the autumn breeze agrees with them as they begin their life together in the dream café.

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

The Tree Sighs

leaves turn bright colors
final kiss goodbye – they fall
the mother tree sighs

Michael

Artist: Leonid Afremov

Whisper Lake

on a whisper wind
her waves wash against the shore
kisses from the lake

Michael