Crimson’s Creative Challenge #071

First Encounter

I was small enough
to believe beauty meant kindness.

They stood like soft miracles—
long-necked, velvet-eyed, impossibly calm.
I leaned forward with wonder,
expecting friendship.

Instead, they spat.

Shock landed harder than the mess itself.
Not pain—
disappointment.
The first lesson that lovely things
don’t always behave the way we hope.

Years later, I understand them better.
Even grace has boundaries.
Even gentleness defends itself.

Still, whenever I see them now,
I smile at the child I was—
learning early
that awe and reality
sometimes arrive together,
and neither cancels the other.

💚🦙

💫Maggie

The Afterlove Voice 💫