A couple years ago, I had to write a micro-essay as part of an online writing program...I had never attempted anything like that and the idea of a 'micro' project was really intimidating because it's rare that my short stories actually stay 'short.' So, after staring at an empty page for awhile, I finally decided to write my micro-essay about a fictitious author struggling to write a micro-essay while grieving the loss of her little sister.
Random sidenote: The butter ocean was inspired by my younger sister's love for butter:)
Butter Ocean
Memories of you once again flooded my mind today, my dear little sister.
I was sitting at a corner table in Panera, trying to write a micro-essay. But my page was empty. Void of all words. Writer’s block extreme.
I heard a child’s voice joyfully exclaiming over the generous amount of butter spread on her bagel. Visions of a loved one’s childhood obsession with butter filled my thoughts.
I turned to locate the voice, and there you were, slouched in a booth. Whole. Untouched by drunk drivers and car shrapnel.
Frizzy black hair corralled into a messy ponytail beneath a backwards baseball cap. Butter knife in one hand, toast in the other. Smiling. Eyes sparkling. You opened your mouth and spoke those familiar words.
“I love it when there’s so much butter melted on my toast, that my bread crumbs complain to me that they feel like they are swimming in the ocean!”
Your voice echoed in my mind, even as the vision faded away. Tears filled my eyes and a micro-essay began to take shape.
Comentários