Shelley J. Reece – Shelley J. Reece

A Meditation on Conflict

18 Aug 202016 Aug 2020

Once upon a time, I turned to my longsword instructor and asked, "Can we spar?" He was dubious about it, because the difference in our ability was not small. "I…

Peaceful Warrior

16 Jul 202016 Jul 2020

One day there was no fight left in me. I wasn’t sure what happened to it. Did it drop out of me, or did it simply disappear? Did something release,…

Hello, Little Heart

I am afraid of the tremulous weight of my own existence. What it means to exist; what responsibility is placed upon my shoulders by the sheer happenstance of my birth.…

The Smallest Things Inspire Me

13 Jun 202029 May 2020

I once visited an Iranian grandmother in her home. She made Turkish coffee in delicate cups, and fed me pumpkin pie and chocolates. “It is always like this, back home,”…

Moonlight Shadows

6 Jun 202028 May 2020

I heard the full moon sing last night; songs of ancient paths, songs of distant dreams; and the wild spirit that remains in my heart unfolded to hear it. Like…

Writer’s Block

28 May 202028 May 2020

I want to write something beautiful. Something that speaks to yearning; something that speaks to the yawning cavern, aching to be filled. I want to speak of the darkness of…

Letting Lucy Go To Sleep

12 Mar 20207 Nov 2020

To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on…

Winter Sun

13 Jan 20207 Nov 2020

Originally published on Anima Monday It’s always the strangest sensation. I look up from the 15-inch screen that has consumed my day, and remember that I exist in a physical…

Harvest Moon

31 Oct 201922 Jun 2019

Come and lay with me, here in the amber leaves. Don't tell me anything. No whispers; no promises you want to keep and won't. Do not dare to name the…

Memento Mori

28 Sep 201928 Sep 2019

Sometimes I think I would not mind, if this was it. Have I not lived a long life already; Have I not lived, and loved, as deeply as anyone hopes…