The rules are simple. Incorporate the following five words, or synonyms of them, in flash fiction or poetry.

Charcoal / Shade / Pale / Wake / Lucid

Here goes my second entry following the Tanka poetic structure.

Ace of Hearts

Hypnotic beats wake,
Emerald eyes captivate.
All becomes lucid –
Riveted by charcoal shades.
The fair draw of coming fate.

Cute, right?
There’s a few things I’d like to briefly mention, mostly ’cause I’m so secretive that they’re easily skipped over. This tanka is a nod to my fledgling novel Of Suits & Sirens that I never mention. There’s a whole playing card theme idly woven through out, that I dig throwing about every once in awhile. Ace is the main protagonist’s name and, well, it follows then that this poem thus refers not only to a romantic heart, but to the suit as well. Ace, the character, is my Ace of Spades in the novel; she is symbolic of a great period of sorrow and transformation.
In writing this blurb, I am now realizing that I may soon want to deep dive into the meanings I found behind the suits. A lot of stuff found online, as always, was contradictory. Maybe it would be useful to have my own handy guide to how Of Suits & Sirens views the 4 suits. Maybe.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my mini submission to The Secret Keeper’s Challenge found here. If you wish to see Take One, click here.

Jessie Gutierrez