Fragments Of Time

Winning Entry by Guesswho

First Born
(A father’s lament)

Almost a stillbirth,
twenty-eight weeks, then
just an hour of life.
So, not quite still, but still
long enough to live and die.

I rushed to the hospital,
but by the time I arrived
and had a chance
to hold him,
he had already gone.

It was just his hand I held,
though I still remember
a little wrinkled face,
lined with a wisdom
I couldn’t comprehend.

As if he held his breath,
his mouth was closed,
as were his eyes.
I never saw his eyes and
he never saw my guilty tears.

Then, registering
a birth and death
together,
arrival and departure
at a single stroke.

I followed her efficient eyes
behind bi-focals as
she wrote in black ink
the details and date
in duplicate.

Then to an undertaker
near the hospital
where I signed away
those precious remnants
with an ancient face.

At the crem’ they
simply slipped him in
with another funeral,
I don’t know when,
they never said.

That’s just the way
they did things then
with those
that barely lived
then died,

no earth to earth,
no dust,
no cries,
no ashes,
no goodbyes.

I can only hope his tiny hand
was held and guided by another
as they rose together
in the balmy evening air.

Now, all I see are
fragments,
bright summer days
stitched together by
threads of darkness,

a mosaic of
broken memories
scattered upon
the stony ground
of recollection.


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Featured Entry by Csawza

Nothing, Nowhere, No one


If this were a story it would be about nothing. You would find yourself nowhere, where no one was calling you.

Desperately calling you.
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Featured Entry by Alex Fleet

Dffshdlhfshfs[adad]fsdfsfsd[ex]sfdsfakllj-fgsf[dasd].Start of message.[ocv]To whom it may concern.[ocv] I am writing this on 28/5/1998.[ocv]If my calculations correct you should be reading this on 28/5/1999.[ocv]Please copy the text at the end of this message and send with details of when you and where you have received it.[ocv]I am experimenting with time programming.[ocv]My theory is that with correct data input I can initiate time travel.[ocv]If you receive this it will have worked.[djsfdlfhslfsfh]I hope the message is complete and coherent.[ocv]Unlike defining a date and time for something to happen in the future with a binary programme which sits somewhere until that time arrives[sfsfjkhhahahlfal]and is capable of producing results in three dimensions[sfhshdlffd-rsrleyrs]the system uses a binary-plus system to achieve reactions in the fourth dimension – time.[ocv]So upon inputting the code into the world wide web and using the capacity of this system across the globe, the code simply disappears, then reappears when specified - a fragment of time[sfdskjfhkjsdahsdgds]travelling forwards to a year after it was sent.[ocv]We need to know when and if it appears, so please respond to this message and attach what information you can to prove when this message arrived such as who is the Prime Minster, who is the reigning Monarch, a unique event which happened today – if possible in picture format, and the location where you received the message.[ocv] After that the messages we send will become more sophisticated until we will be able to send programs into the future which can be encoded into objects printed out in three dimensions.[ocv]Our hope is to be able to “print out” explorers to travel forward in time, then return, via the worldwide web. End the message with the code “erpsll[rrr]yyxend” then send it. The code you need to send it to is: httpxrs:www.fd slgj[sdgg gee]sds=g ffdg h j
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