In honor of Valentine’s Day, the author’s of Wild Ink Publishing and Conquest Publishing were given a little 24-hour challenge. Write about that all consuming, one human emotion that rises above the rest, thing that drives us all forward. Love. The challenge was simple enough… use your choice of three short forms; a mini-saga, 6-line free verse, or a mini-essay.
We were blown away by the response in such a short amount of time. And tonight, we would like to present to you, why it’s so easy to lose yourself in love, with the first annual 24-hour Valentine’s Day writing challenge.
Old Love
Staring at the box of chocolates propped against the vase of roses that will wilt and die.
He snores.
I stare harder at the thorns that will prick,
and the chocolate that will melt on my fingertips,
as his apnea replaces sweet nothings. My true love.
Love Does Not Hold Captives
As Asha looked out her window, she wondered if the man who locked her in regretted it. Did he know that she counted the seconds until he appeared again? She wished she could tell him the locksmith showed her a way out—and that he deserved freedom from himself as well.
My Love and Me
I want a love of the ages,
one that is scrawled within pages.
I want my romance to be a muse,
one that sends the heart aching like a bruise.
We will go down in history,
my love and me.
My Sweet Valentine
Their hands were still intertwined. She’d left an hour ago. Her roses sat beside the bed, their beauty unaware that sixty-three years had faded into the most recent of memories. He brushed her hair from her peaceful face. The last words she heard were, “I love you, my sweet Valentine.”
A Moment in Time
I cradled my days-old newborn son on the couch. My husband snuggled next to us. “These moments,” I said, “The ones that aren’t significant, these are the ones we forget.” He kissed the top of our son’s head. I then knew I’d remember. And I did.
My Only Valentine Brought Me French Fries
A single, bright rose stuck out of the greasy paper sack.
I had to work late and was on my period.
I didn’t have to ask. Still he understood
that what I needed then was not a grand gesture
but a singular moment that whispered ‘I see you’.
Rose-Colored Lenses
Love is patient, love is kind,
but above all else, love is blind.
Broken bones, broken skin—
wouldn’t be so if you’d listened.
He sent some flowers, apologized.
“I just got so mad. You know I love you, right?”
Love is Fickle
Love is but a fickle thing, the most volatile of all the emotions. Samson knew of Delilah’s betrayal, but his heart remained true. He stood with pride in the frigid, desert night as it was a strength to love another despite their flaws, not a weakness.
Just Say NO to V-Day
I simply do not understand why anyone would want to celebrate the anniversary of both the brutal murder of the man in the third century that the day is named for and the bloody execution of seven men by the American mob in the 1920s as the day to excessively dote on someone you supposedly love.
So why do we let society make us feel incomplete as people if we aren’t coupled to another person romantically on this one day above all others? Shouldn’t we strive to express our love for others just as much every other day of the year?
Please let’s start treating our fellow humans with all the love, and turn Valentine’s Day into Halloween #2!
Pink Grinch
They say Halloween is the Devil’s day, and he may come out to party on All Hallow’s Eve, but he’s a sneaky one, and I think he does his dirtiest work on Valentine’s Day. Breaking promises and bank accounts, coercing sex, forcing proposals. Fitting a year’s worth of love into a single day like checking off a to-do list, a transaction in place of a relationship. No diamond jewelry, candy hearts, or chocolate boxes for me, please. If it doesn’t include a gruesome and bloody beheading, I’m not here for it.
Two Dimensional
Stars twinkled above the castle. Tucking a strand of hair behind a pointed ear, the elf looked at the satyr beside him. Pale, sweet-smelling flowers bloomed at her feet.
“What an adventure,” he said. “I’ve come to love you.”
Then, a meow. I paused the game to feed my cat.
Just Say Yes
Your lips, red wine. You throw your head back and laugh at my bad jokes. My heart, red flesh. You grab my beard and pull me closer to your face. Our kiss, red hot. You whisper, never leave me baby, and I promise you I never will. Our love story.
Wild Ink Publishing 