And The River Flows On
dVerse Prosery: Luminous Accountings
The Prosery Challenge: Your prose—fiction or nonfiction—may be no more than 144 words. You must use the given line, and you may not alter the words, change the word order, or insert words into the line. However, you may change the punctuation.
The line is from King of the River, by Stanley Kunitz
. . . and the iridescent image swims
through a mirror that flows.”
Stanley Kunitz (The Atlantic, 1970)
Rogue River, OR © Lisa Smith Nelson 2026
Try as I might, I can’t seem to hold on to my memories. They move, sliding away through my fingers, quicksilver between moments, leaving me with nothing. No, not nothing. Worse than nothing. Nothing would be painless. They leave, not reflections, but vague images, faded photographs, faces silvered with age. Yet I do remember there were once memories. That’s what stings. I promised never to forget. Even your face is fading, hazy, wavering. “… and the iridescent image swims through a mirror that flows,” rippling, becoming indistinct and smaller as it’s carried downstream.
©2026 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved
powerful Lisa! and painful
ReplyDeleteYour prose feels familiar, aging is not for the faint of heart ... a masterful write.
ReplyDeleteWell done! This seems to be the reality for some! Very sad when it happens
ReplyDeleteA poignant reflection. I find it to be painfully true myself, Lisa. How odd it would have seemed when we were young to think we would be grieving over lost or fading memories as unforgettable as they seemed in the moment. Beautiful writing.
ReplyDeleteI like what the line brought up for you. The vanishing of memories like swimming iridescent images
ReplyDeleteYour Prosery piece resonates with me, Lisa. Having just turned 70, I too have trouble holding on to memories. I love the way the memories ‘sliding away… quicksilver between moments’ and the ‘vague images, faded photographs, faces silvered with age’ echo the prompt line.
ReplyDeleteYour Prosery piece resonates with me, Lisa. Having just turned 70, I too have trouble holding on to memories. I love the way the memories ‘sliding away… quicksilver between moments’ and the ‘vague images, faded photographs, faces silvered with age’ echo the prompt line.
ReplyDeletePainful. Even if I am relatively young, I too have felt something quite similar. Beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteThis has to be so painful... I realize I forget things all the time, but no major losses yet...
ReplyDeleteLisa, it's been sobering to reach for memories I thought would always be there and drawing a blank. I try to comfort myself by saying those lost ones are making room for new experiences and remembrances.
ReplyDelete