Deep Pockets

‘Mother, why do we have to get up in the dark?’ my daughter whispered.

I had warned her to be a mouse, to creep and stay silent. We didn’t want to be caught by the Witchmaster. I wore my skirt with deep pockets and filled them with bread, cheese and sachets of my special herbs – we had already dressed in several layers of clothes.

‘Don’t forget Circe!’ Violet whispered in my ear again, tugging on my sleeve.

I glanced around the cottage for signs of a flash of cat’s eyes.  You cannot pluck moonlight to bring in your pocket, but a cat can always lead the way.

Violet found Circe on the mat by the front door, ready to guide us to our new life in the safety of the hills. I dug into my right pocket and found my talisman – a silver moon.

Kim M. Russell, 9th October 2023

Image by Nadjib BR on Unsplash

At the dVerse Poets Pub, Mish is hosting Prosery Monday, when we ‘wonderful word wizards’ write short pieces of prose, (not prose poetry and not a poem) that include a given line from a poem. We are are allowed to break up the line with punctuation and capitalization but may not insert within the chosen line. Our prose may be flash fiction or creative non-fiction with a beginning, middle and end, but must not not exceed 144 words.

She tells us that she decided to delve into the work of Helen Hoyt, an American romantic lyric poet I had not heard of, so thank you Mish for introducing me to her. I really liked her poem, ‘October Letter’ and the line to be included in your prosery this week: “You cannot pluck moonlight to bring in your pocket!”

34 thoughts on “Deep Pockets”

  15. Like everyone else, I was bewitched by the tale, and as I responded above, I think it would make a great longer story. I’m wondering about the intentionality of the cat being named Circe, and if she has the magical ability (as in Greek mythology) to turn humans into other creatures. Maybe that’s how she actually leads the way…

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