Tag: words

Characteristics of Life

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

A poem by Camille T. Dungy

Ask me if I speak for the snail and I will tell you
I speak for the snail.
speak of underneathedness
and the welcome of mosses,
of life that springs up,
little lives that pull back and wait for a moment.

I speak for the damselfly, water skeet, mollusk,
the caterpillar, the beetle, the spider, the ant.
I speak
from the time before spinelessness was frowned upon.

Ask me if I speak for the moon jelly. I will tell you
one thing today and another tomorrow
and I will be as consistent as anything alive
on this earth.

I move as the currents move, with the breezes.
What part of your nature drives you? You, in your cubicle
ought to understand me. I filter and filter and filter all day.

Ask me if I speak for the nautilus and I will be silent
as the nautilus shell on a shelf. I can be beautiful
and useless if that’s all you know to ask of me.

Ask me what I know of longing and I will speak of distances
between meadows of night-blooming flowers.
I will speak
the impossible hope of the firefly.

You with the candle
burning and only one chair at your table must understand
such wordless desire.

To say it is mindless is missing the point.

Filter, filter, and filter all day, anything or anyone that holds you back, just keep moving like a snail. Wordless desires that’s the way of life. Such a beautiful poem. 🙂

A Candle

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments

A slick wax body,
sometimes thin, sometimes tall,
sometimes scented, round and small,
red, black or white,
in a glass or on a stand,
A candle –
in a thousand forms and shapes,
yet the flame is always the same.

Its purpose: to burn,
a spark brings it to life,
spilling warmth and light,
casting shadows that dance,
Perfuming the air,
Bringing joy to faces,
when placed on a cake.

A candle can also wound,
sear the hand that holds,
or burn down a house to ruins.
Feel sad while —
watching its body surrender,
Drop by drop,
Burning away,
To the silence of the wax.

Are we not the same?
Like candles, living flames.
Choosing how to burn
Entirely up to us..
Will we melt away in pain,
Or shine –
and illuminate the world before we fade?

Letter Writing #1 – 08/24/24

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment
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Page 2

Dearest Reader, 

I invite you to join me on a new journey—one that takes us back to the days of heartfelt, handwritten letters. Starting today, I will be writing letters to you, just like in the good old times.

While I’m grateful for the comforts of the modern day and age, I often find myself longing for the slow and simple pleasures of the past. Perhaps you feel this way too? Letter writing is one such treasured tradition—a time when people would sit down with pen and paper, taking a moment to compose their thoughts and pour their hearts out. How endearing it must have been to take time out just to do this one activity. 

Oh and the personal touch that handwriting lends to these letters, makes them even more special! And how delightful it must have been to receive a letter perfumed by a loved one’s favorite scent! While I cannot add fragrance to my letters, I’ll do my best to recreate the warmth and sincerity of letter writing in this digital age. 

In these letters, I’ll share my thoughts, stories, and reflections—sometimes lighthearted, other times more contemplative. But always dear reader, they’ll be written with you in mind, as a way for us to connect on a deeper level.

I hope my letters will bring you comfort, spark your imagination, and perhaps even offer a little escape from the routine of life.

What would make this journey even more special is if you joined me in this lost art of letter writing. I’d love to hear from you! Share your daydreams and stories with me at nuraine.sadaf@gmail.com or share your thoughts in the comments. 

Let’s bring a little bit of the past into our present, one letter at a time.


Yours lovingly,
Nuraine Sadaf

My Substack publication: https://open.substack.com/pub/nuraine/p/letter-1-082424?r=1r1cfn&utm_medium=ios

Positive Inner Dialogue

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Thought of the Day!

Leave no room for negative self-talk. Be your own greatest cheerleader, because if you don’t stand up for yourself, no one else will.

These words aren’t new to us—we’ve seen this advice before. But how often do we truly absorb it, let alone act on it? The way we speak to ourselves in our minds shapes our reality. What we believe is what we become.

Have a lovely day, fellow readers! I’d love to hear from you—how do you talk to yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 🙂