Four Rubies

By May Livere

 

Arrived in the night
each with a light
solid at heart
a glow of morning sun
on my scarlet curtain.

And I, a hand-picked
keeper anticipating
an overflow of lava
but they were so keen
on dying!

A thief sneaked into
their cradle, and the
rubies cast themselves
out into the cold
to burn out.

 

 

May Livere is a freelance writer and editor residing in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work has appeared on African Writer and The Bundle of Joy and Other Stories from Africa, Vol 1 (Africa Book Club, 2014). She has published online short stories on Angie’s Diary, Fiction on the Web and Africa Book Club. She was a runner-up for the September 2013 Africa Book Club Short Reads competition.