Saudade

Time for another entry in Friday Fictioneers challenge, courtesy of Rochelle Wissof-Fields. If you want to give it a try, check the info on her blog. 100 words more or less, inspired by a photo, here we go….

leary2

 Copyright – Erin Leary

When you think about it, there are stories more tragic than yours. It is just that those stories are at the edge of your universe, maintaining irregular orbit around you.

You watched people scream at each other, their faces twisted and unrecognizable and you couldn’t help but feel lost. Politicians with their sly grins standing in the background made your skin crawl. But everyone around you was oblivious.

Standing in an empty room in this foreign city, you cry. Because, the last time you turned around to look at what you were leaving behind, it was your home you saw.

Just a bit of reflection on the current political climate in my country…Darkness lingers at the edge of reason.

Saudade (Portuguese) – describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return.

47 thoughts on “Saudade”

  6. The narrator’s sense of grief and loss resonate strongly in your story. I love your use of second person narration. You’re right – it’s powerful. The ending is so sad. I hear your observations, too, about your own homeland. What a world we live in – will we ever grow up?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. gahlearner says:

    This is sad, and so true for far too many people, with a very powerful last line.Most people in Europe (or their families) would know how this feels if they remembered their own history. Great writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. Dale says:

    I couldn’t have imaginee living through this – you made me feel it.
    Love the addition of this piece of music. The whole album is hauntingly beautiful (one of my faves and actually on my desk as we speak!)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  23. That was a stunning piece of work! Very moving and poignant! These lines, especially, did it for me:
    “When you think about it, there are stories more tragic than yours. It is just that those stories are at the edge of your universe, maintaining irregular orbit around you.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment