rubyjuyu

[rubyjuyu]

[🍰] mirage of blue

she'd grown up on a diet of flaky grains and legends of the sea. on nights when the desert was silent save for the wind's soft breath stirring the sand beneath her back, she'd listen to her brother's tales under an obsidian sky littered with stars. she'd let her imagination run wild, her young spirit taking over and freeing her from the distresses of her life, if only temporarily. it was on such nights that she would dream of waters so deep she couldn't see where they ended, waters which glistened under the blazing sun, waters like fire that burned too brightly.

she thought she knew everything about the sea that there was to know. she treasured the stories like a mother cherished her baby—she knew each one by heart, could recite them word for word. she believed that if she kept them close to her soul, they'd prepare her for if she ever dared to one day venture out to sea. at the very least, she thought she understood what it would feel like to be riding the waves. she'd imagined her raven black hair streaming behind her; she'd reveled in the idea of tasting the salty air on her tongue, feeling it sting her eyes.

now this was something else entirely.

what she had failed to truly comprehend was that she was but a desert girl. she belonged to the roaring red sand dunes, belonged to its smoldering fire under her bare feet. home was where her robes—sticky with sweat—hugged her body firmly like a koala did its branch. and no matter how many stories her brother told, no matter how much of her breakfast of scaly, putrid fish she hurled back into the waters, she would never be at one with the sea.

[rubyjuyu]

references

[⚡️] flash fiction

[🌷] miscellaneous

[🌙] poetry

[🍰] scenes from stories

[❄️] short stories

[🍒] writing prompts

<series>

[🍓] cursed ruby

[🗝️] shadowling

[rubyjuyu]

[🌙] moonlight

(artwork by emily xu, @/emilyamiao on instagram)

a cascade of raindrops, a spectral encore,

pirouette through a misty downpour.

elegant twirls, a stunning waltz unfurls,

the ghost and the man in graceful swirls.

the theater of gloom deafened by bloom

in nature's embrace, a wistful perfume.

transcending time on this moonlit night,

whispers of the past gently write

with the ink of the evening, let their love be told,

a story woven from silver and gold.

***

no hands to hold, no love to regain,

i yearn for solace under endless rain.

no footsteps echo, no voices near,

a bitter wind, a ghostly sear.

a reminder of solitude, bitterly perceived,

far from sweet laughter, a heart deceived.

hope extinguished, nightfall sustains,

here where only despair remains.

in this realm where memories fade,

a symphony of sorrow, a haunting serenade.

[rubyjuyu]

[🌙] to you i hope i feel like

to you i hope i feel like

a summer breeze

filtering through your hair,

dancing with flowers,

carrying leaves to lands far, far away

lying down in the grass,

eyes wide open

as we gaze at passing stars

and paint our little universe

the song on the radio

when we fly through trafic,

heading toward the sunset,

singing at the top of our lungs

running along the shore,

leaving footprints in the sand,

hair in our faces,

salt on our tongues

the echo of laughter in a quiet room,

secret notes and soft smiles,

the scribble of pencils

on a brand new journal

a whiff of fresh air

when you step outside your house

on a cold winter morning

when your breath comes out in puffs

to you i hope i feel

like a bittersweet memory

that you relive when you look up

at a pink and purple sky

like a whisper of a distant song

whose lyrics you can't recall

the melody stays

in the back of your head

and never

goes away.