Sapphic Voices General Fiction

Feathers In The Moment

Long before Forest Gump, Leah loved to watch feathers blowing in the wind. Tracking them with her eyes, in much the same way she would try to track a single snowflake as it fell to the ground. Feathers were easier by far. They didn’t hide in packs nor did they blend in with the frozen ground. They sailed with the breeze, rising and falling, swirling and leaping.

And Leah wished she could be more like a feather. Living in the moment. Feathers do not dwell on where they have been and they don’t seem anxious about where they are going.

They flit in the moment.

Now.

Leah didn’t understand what now was. When she was a child or when she was an adult.

As an adult, she understood all sorts of abstract concepts. Feminist theory, sociological lenses, educational pedagogues to name a few. But now was a concept far out of her reach.

As a child, Leah searched for feathers on the ground. Her teacher and parents told her they were dirty. Not to touch them.

Her mother told her birds were bad luck. Jewish folklore says that if a bird flies in through a window, it is an omen of death.

And as an adult Lead would believe the same thing.

But as a child she didn’t.

She wouldn’t.

Because feathers were soft and delicate and fuzzy and safe.

They danced around her in the backyard or on the playground or on Leah’s walk to school. They danced like the snow queen in the Nutcracker, with her tutu made of feathers.

Leah loved to watch the Nutcracker. With the Snow Queen and Sugarplum Fairy. She would dress up in her tutu and pretend to be them. To know them.

And when she caught sight of the feathers pirouetting in the air, Leah imagined it was them. The Snow Queen and the Sugarplum Fairy. Her fairy godmothers. Protecting her from her unsafe past and helping to guide her toward her uncertain future.

Or better yet, keeping her in the moment. Helping her to see and feel the grace of the feathers in the air.

If you have enjoyed Lani Radack's "Feathers In The Moment", then please be certain to e-mail her at  radacklani[at]hotmail.com  and thank her for posting this Story.

Click here for a list of all of Lani Radack's  Stories and Poetry at  Sapphic Voices Authoresses.