What Is Nine Hundred Miles?
What is nine hundred miles to a man when family is a short flight away, or a drive in a day? Is there separation when connection is as simple as a message, a call, or FaceTime? What is the separation when the difference is measured in split seconds?
The heart will guide where the mind cannot see. And so the man made the move. Both baggage and cartage. A relocation of nine hundred miles to be with the woman he loved, loves still, and to know happiness. He learned that nine hundred miles is actually eighteen hundred miles, for the heart must always return. He has traveled that distance many times over the years, so that he could know the two sides of happiness. So it is, and will always be, for crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end.
This is my response to Prosery: Finding Your Way, the prompt from Merril at dVerse ~ Poets Pub. With Prosery, the challenge is to write a piece of flash fiction with a 144-word limit. Included in the bit of prose is to be a complete line from a poem. For this prompt, the line to be included is from “Map to the Next World,” by Joy Harjo.
“Crucial to finding the way is this: there is no beginning or end”
– Joy Harjo
I’ve met the additional challenge of hitting the 144-word mark, exactly.
July will be nine years since I moved from New York to be with Bonnie. We were married three years ago, but there have been many trips back to Buffalo to visit family.
rivrvlogr 
Beautifully expressed. I’m nodding at 900 is actually 1800!
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I second Jazz, Ken.
I nodded at that also – it’s so simple and true…
Lovely and somewhat poignant too…
-David
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Thank you, David. 🙂
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Thank you. If only 1800 could be 900.
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This is lovely, Ken. I think the miles grow longer when you are older and have a family. I find it very difficult when my husband travels.
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“when you are older and have a family” — Yes, I’ve become more conscious of the value of time. Thank you, Robbie.
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This is beautifully written Ken.
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Thank you. 🙂
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You’re welcome 😉
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And so it will always be for the connections of the human heart. (K)
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I’m thankful, at least for the connections I have.
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I love this. A beautiful expression of the division of the heart. And such a great incorporation of the quote! I ran out of words way too quickly. Yours feels right.
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Thank you. Personal experience made it easier to write to the prompt. I still have to catch up on reading the other responses.
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All so true, Ken. Lovely!
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🙂 Thank you, Merril.
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You’re welcome.😀
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A beautiful response to the prompt which made me think of The Proclaimer’s song ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ 🙂
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Thank you, Ingrid. 😀 Early on in our relationship (before my move), that song made it to our playlist.
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It’s a classic!
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I just love that ending.
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Thank you, Paul.
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A WONDERFUL response to the prompt’s line! “He learned that nine hundred miles is actually eighteen hundred miles, for the heart must always return. ” … Oh how true this is! I especially related to this as about three weeks ago we finally flew from Boston to North Carolina to see our son and his family again. It had been almost a year-and-a-half. That family connection is always there…but oh so hard when one can’t touch.
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This is beautiful, Ken. I too have made that back and forth. Many times. Love always wins.
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I does. Thank you, Helen.
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Distance and time go hand in hand… but with love, there is always a bridge to go there and back again.
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I like that thought . Thank you.
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This is incredibly heart-stirring! The lengths we go to for our loved ones .. sigh .. 💝💝
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That we do. Thank you, Sanaa.
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