Sunflowers

A life spent huddled in the crowd. Somewhere toward the middle, but often trailing behind.

Individual dreams not allowed. A herd mentality encouraged.

For a long time I didn’t wonder if there was anything else. It never crossed my mind.

I couldn’t see further than my own footprint in the sand, with a  peripheral sense of others.

But we all faced forward and did our duty.

We were blind.

***

One day, I tripped on some unevenness. That stumble broke my reverie.

The crowd walked around me, taking a sideways step to avoid collision.

Not one body reached down to pick me up.

I watched them retreat, then looked around me.

Nothing to the left. Nothing to the right.

***

I completed a turn so I was facing behind, from where I had come.

Fields of dreams, towering castles, lowing animals, buzzing insects.

I had been unaware and now had awakened.

I turned to look forward. I was unrestrained. I was freed.

***

What could I do? No boundaries. A wealth of unknowns.

Endless opportunity.

Freedom. [173 words, 6 minutes]

Thanks to Christine for this weekly challenge.

Simply 6 Minutes Challenge Note

• Set up a timer or sit near a clock so you can keep track of the six minutes you will be writing.
• You can either use one of the prompts (photo or written) or you can free-write.
• Get ready and write for 6 minutes, that is it! Can you write a complete story? Can you think of a new Sonnet? Can you write 400 words? 400? 500? There are no restrictions on what kind of writing you do, but you should try to be actively writing for six minutes.
• After you are done writing, include your word count and then post back to this page #Simply6Minutes or include your link in the comments section. Pingbacks are enabled.