Here’s Suzanne Burke’s ‘Fiction in a Flash Challenge 2021’ Week #42, where you can see the prompt, read the rules and join in the flash fiction challenge!
I am super excited to get to contribute to the prompt this week. I hope you enjoy!
TIME
They say time is an illusion
Only existing in our minds
That time to the Universe
Is the greatest joke to mankind
A porcelain jewel, delightfully ornate
Quietly ticking away, and now four-o-eight
Maybe it’s fate, mocking and cruel
For at four-o-seven I lost the numbers pool
My breathing ceased and heart stopped beating
And now I know time is nothing if not fleeting
As softly I float into the warm light
Below a body, once my birthright
That housed my spirit throughout the years
Is now only a shell, as loved ones shed tears
Time is an illusion, or so they say
Yet it marches forward into another day
Don’t take it for granted
Or put off your greatest delight
Before you know it, your spirit will take flight
Illusion or not, time never ceases
With or without you until it releases
***
Thank you so much for stopping by. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Suzanne Burke may be contacted here …
Writing and Music 
Well done, Jan!
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Thank you, Bette! Happy Easter!
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No other word to say than, “Bravo!”
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Thank you, Mark. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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A beautiful and poignant poem, Jan.
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Thank you, Robbie. I appreciate you stopping by!
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Excellent poem, Jan. We take time so seriously, but it is all illusion, isn’t it? Only this moment exists. Wonderful take on the prompt.
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Yes, Diana, we do tend to take time very seriously. I think maybe we realize the illusion when we pass beyond the veil. This moment right now is all we have. Thank you for stopping by! Happy Easter
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Jan, a powerful poem and reminder about time in our lives. You have taken a terrific twist in the poem as you write from the perspective of the spirit of the deceased who passed at 4.07! Even dead, haunted by the illusion of time …
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Hi, Annika. Thank you for your comment. I am happy you enjoyed it. I like that phrase “haunted by the illusion of time…” Could be a book title. 🙂
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Lovely poem, Jan. The clock–I think that’s when we lost control of our days! I love the thoughts you bring out in your poem.
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Thank you, Jacqui. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
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Your poem could be a metaphor for the way I’ve been trying to live my life. Don’t take it for granted, make every day count, and don’t wait too long to go after what we want. Great job. Jan!
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Thank you, Pete! I appreciate your comment!
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Good one, Jan. 😊
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Thank you, John!
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😁
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I love this, Jan. Such an insightful poem about how time is always moving and we need to appreciate each moment. Never pass up a chance to live, I agree. It does release us yet keeps going.
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Time stops for no one, as they say. Thanks so much, Denise. I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. Have a great day!
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I’m so delighted you were able to take part again this week, Jan. This poem is a reminder to us all to value every sunrise and sunset and all those precious moments in between. A Wonderful take on the prompt! I have just had the pleasure of sharing it. 🤗
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Thank you, Soooz! It was fun to participate. 🙂
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Lovely poem Jan! Ah! Time… the traitor, the healer, the fleeting charmer – all rolled into one! We have a love-hate relationship with this dodger. 🙂
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Yes, we do, Balroop. You described it perfectly. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful day!
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Hi,
A nice play on the word time. I like the comparison between thinking it is allusive and forgetting that it is not always there. That it can go quickly for those who think they have forever. Forever doesn’t exist in time.
Shalom aleichem
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the poem, Pat. Time does fly by quickly and it’s something we can never retrieve once it’s gone. Thank you for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!
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This was a great poem, Jan! Time truly is precious and should not be wasted. 🙂
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It really hit me that way, Yvette. Maybe because I am turning 70 this year? I don’t know, but time is truly precious and limited. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. Have a great day! Hugs!
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Marvelous, Jan. Hugs on the wing!
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Thank you, Teagan. Hugs back to you!
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What an awesome poem, Jan–coupled with an excellent message. Well done!
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Thank you, Mae. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day!
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Beautiful poem, Jan! Congratulations on your recent contract!
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P.S. I had that same clock when I was a little girl.
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Wow!
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Thank you, Jill! I’m excited to have book 2 of the White Rune Series now in the works! Thanks for stopping by!
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Extraordinary, Jan. I love your poem, the rhythm, the content, and the rhyme. Beautiful! 💗
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Thank you, Gwen. I was thrilled to get to participate!
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