The Bluestone Review 2020

The Bluestone Review 2020

Editors’ Contributions

Hayley A. Moore Hayley Moore has been involved with the Bluestone Review for multiple years now as both a contributor and editor. She plans to work as an editor or technical writer after graduating from Bluefield College in 2020 with a B.A. in English (Writing) and General Music.

Wishing By Hayley A. Moore Apprehension

Red. The sun is sheltered by the purple-based Blue Ridge Mountains. As that deep, comforting red spreads to pink, orange, green… blue, as the colors spread across the skyline, I began to remember you. What was your favorite color, again? Green? Maybe blue. I don’t remember, but I do know your favorite ani- mal is a buffalo. Prosperity—you have ambitions, goals. Curiosity. Strength— you’ve always been a fighter; your closet dream goes back to that hearty buffalo. You’ve dreamt of pursuing this fantasy, but no… you crave consistency. I run my hands along the rusty-orange, crumbling brick bridge that I’ve been lost atop so many times before. Why am I here? My mind only sees you. You gave me that tiny shred of hope, and now I’m caught up in thoughts of a fantastic future, riddled with impossibilities…Why can’t you just say NO? But… if this has left you so…confused…isn’t that sign enough? Clarity It all started in “The Office,” an “imaginary,” dangerous little shred of hope. Hope for something more than what it already is becoming… Do I wait for it to go on sale, or do I rush the whole thing, add-ons and all? I’ve always struggled with that balance. But balance is your specialty. The air whips at my shoul- ders, and I find myself walking away from the bridge, the moon now the main source of light. The moon brings me back to you; always more active at night. It brings me to those glances across the room…smiles—not shyness. Eye contact. Did you know that thirty seconds of eye contact triggers oxytocin? The love hormone. But you know that, of course. You crave that closeness and stability, buffalo. You crave intimacy. I remember you telling me how nice it feels to be appreciated…for once. I’ve given you as much as you’ve given me. I won’t say it all started in “The Office,” though. That’s just what secured the bridge. Now, we just have to cross it. Or maybe it’s best to just let it weather and crumble. “She was a soul on fire waiting on a wind to feed her flame; but maybe all she needed was more fire.”

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