WRITING OBSTACLE
Submitted by Maranda Quinn
Show a powerful emotion – love, grief, rage - in a quiet, everyday moment.
Instead of writing a dramatic and drawn out scene, think about how subtle actions and sensory details can carry the weight of the feeling.
A Quiet Expression of Love
Early in the morning, when the world is still and soft light filters through the curtains, I find myself seated in my favourite armchair. A steaming cup of tea rests in my hands, its gentle warmth seeping into my skin. The faint aroma of Earl Grey mingles with the calm hush of the waking day.
On the small wooden table beside me lies a well-worn photograph, its faded edges telling tales of years gone by. I lean in and trace the delicate contours of the face I love, feeling the subtle vibration of tender remembrance. In that quiet gesture, a powerful emotion unfurls—a deep, abiding love that transcends the passage of time.
The muted chirp of birds outside and the soft rustle of leaves in the garden seem to echo my inner state. Each sip of tea is both a comfort and a contemplation, a silent conversation with memories of shared laughter and whispered promises. There is no dramatic display here; the emotion is revealed in the gentle contact between my fingertip and the cool glass of the photo frame, in the slow, deliberate breathing that fills the still air.
This unassuming moment, ordinary yet profound, reminds me that love does not always roar—it often whispers, profoundly and persistently, in the quiet cadence of everyday life.