The war was over and railway stations in London were flooded with soldiers: the walking wounded, shell shocked and confused. After years in the trenches, it was commonplace to see young men dazzled by gas lights or cringing at a blast of steam from a train.
I have waited every day, desperate to catch a glimpse of Arthur. We were betrothed in 1914, before he enlisted and then vanished from my life, except for a letter or two, in which he promised to return to me.
It seems the horror of war hasn’t really ended; it haunts every young man who steps or is lifted from a train. It all belies our existence. We wait and are still denied the love of those who left us behind, even when they have returned.
Then I spot him in the crowd – only he cannot see me.
Kim M. Russell, 16th March 2026
This Monday, Merril was our host at the dVerse Poets Pub for Prosery, when we take a given line of poetry around which to write a short prose piece of up to 144 words, not including the title. We must not alter the words, change the word order, or insert words into the line. However, we may change the punctuation.
Merril said that, as she wrote her prompt, there was a ‘lull in winter, a taste of spring, almost summer’ which led her to the poem ‘Winter-Lull’ by D.H. Lawrence, one of my favourite writers:
“It all belies
Our existence; we wait, and are still denied.”
writing in north norfolk 
So sad, to lose one’s betrothed, to a war, that, no ordinary person wants to, fight in, in the, first place.
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Thanks for commenting.
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Such a sad reality for those who came home from the war. I love how you weaved the chosen line into your prose so effortlessly Kim. Beautifully written story.
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Thank you, Dianne.
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Oh–the tragedy of that war so beautifully expressed, Kim. I can’t imagine the horror of those trenches. I like the ambiguity of the ending. Can he not see her because of trauma or is he actually blind?
We just finished watching Peaky Blinders, and I like that even though the show is not about WWI, the trauma of having fought in it carries through decades.
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WW1 was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Oh how wrong we can be!
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I know. We can look back and analyze all the things that should have happened to prevent that war and the next, but people don’t ever seem to learn–or don’t care.
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Oh, Kim, this is so sad. I like the way you incorporated the line.
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Thank you, Melissa.
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This is expertly crafted! Bravo!
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Thank you, Susan!
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This was awesome!!!! I agree with the poster above you did this so well and “effortlessly”. And though not easy to think about the hard truth about war is just as relevant now as it was back then. Excellent work on this one!!
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Don’t know if you are an Outlander series fan .. I am. Your prose reminded me of just how much I treasure following Jamie and Claire. Cheers, well done.
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