Smoke Signal Rising
Quadru-Haiku on Mental Health
My wounds gather stones
and blindly build walls. Alone,
can’t chisel their hold.
//
Flame of my spirit
dimmed, closed in by my trowel-
smoke signal rising...
//
Waters of kindness
split mortar, trickling a salve
that softens the stone.
//
Breeze of connection
finds breaks in the walls. Love, the
bellows for embers.
About the Creator
Kristen Balyeat
Words fly to me on the wind, bump into me as I'm strolling the city, splash me in the face while I rest by the river, and shake me awake in the middle of the night—I’m humbly one of the vessels they use to come to life.
Also, i love you:)
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Easy to read and follow
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Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
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More stories from Kristen Balyeat and writers in Poets and other communities.
Instructions Included Challenge Winners
For the Instructions Included challenge, we asked writers to tell a story through instructions and to trust the form to carry what could not be said outright. Across the top entries, that trust paid off in many different ways.
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Comments (52)
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Wow, felt the elements in my bones.
Well hello emerging creator! Seen this truly excellent work before! Nice! 😁🎉👏
I was so pleased to see your name on this list, you are an absolute star in the making, and I am so happy i was able to read your works. Looking forward to more great things from you in 2024 Jason
My wounds gather stones and blindly build walls...damn. Wow.
What an awesome piece! It really jumped out at me when I read it twice... that's when I saw your subheading on mental health. It all made sense to me and it's so current. Well done. Well spoken.
I missed this breathtakingly beautiful Haiku. I found it at the right moment though. We are all connected. Your words speak volumes. Blessings on your winning thoughts.
very good
I missed this beautiful haiku. Congrats on your prize too! 😊✨
the first line is awesome. i'm completely in love with it. the rest of the piece is amazing too, of course, but your first haiku is my favorite. beautiful piece.
Congratulations on 1st place! Well done!
Sorry so late on this! Congrats as this is special and I can relate to it! Well done!
Holy smokes (sorry, couldn't resist) but I see how this won the challenge. That was so good! 👏
This was utterly enchanting! Well deserved the win in my opinion! 🥰🔥
Beautiful and nostalgic - I love the how you themed each of the haikus after an element. So clever! Very well deserved win! Congratulations 🤗
Beautiful! 🧡 I can easily see why this is an award-winning haiku collection! Excellent work!
Very well done! You told a story with few words in an elegant dance. Lovely!
Congratulations 🎉🎊
Beautiful lines👌
Written in a beautiful manner.
Beautiful in every way!
Congratulations! This was truly well done.
Congratulations on your achievement! I'm so proud of you for all the hard work and dedication that led you to this moment.
Fantastic imagery!! This hits home. Well done.
Wow. Beautiful work. So... *true* to the experience. Thank you for sharing.