fiction

The Tapestry of Poison

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
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The Tapestry of Poison


The tapestry of life has threads of gloom,
Where toxic darkness drains the spirit’s bloom.
Some things in life are toxic, subtly sly,
Environments that stifle, habits that deny
Our health, or institutions built on lies—
The silent poisons that before us rise.

As harmful are the ties that bring us pain,
Some people in life who are toxic, they remain
Emotional vampires, constant critics cold,
Passive aggressors, stories to be told
Of manipulation, thriving on the storm,
Suffocating potential, leaving us worn.

Beyond the things and people we may face,
Some activities are toxic in this space.
The compulsions offering distraction’s grace,
But long-term regret we cannot erase:
The relentless pursuit, the endless scroll,
The cycles that entrap and take their toll.

So why do we still use these things we know?
Is it comfort, fear, or letting inertia grow?
And why do we still talk to these people too?
Is it guilt, obligation, hope that’s often through?
Why on the altar of connection’s name,
Do we sacrifice our peace to feed their flame?

If the outcome’s negative, why do we stay?
Why do we still do these activities every day?
The self-sabotage, the deeply set-in need,
Why do we torment ourselves by doing the same things repeatedly indeed?
A closed, agonizing loop of self-inflicted harm,
Where inertia holds us in its harmful arm.

But the moment of reckoning demands its due,
A crystallizing truth, unflinching, strong, and new:
Enough! I am done! a line across the sand,
The absolute refusal, a sovereign command.
To the source of the poison, the message is clear,
Take your toxicity and your self-righteous attitude and leave me here.

Leave me be, so I can move on and find my peace,
Grant me the space for wounds to heal and cease.
Leave me be and stop pretending you ever cared,
The charade of concern, its hollow core laid bare.
Leave me be and let me live my life as it should be,
Unburdened by your shadow, finally free.

My future is my own, not for your design,
Leave me be and stop pretending that you ever cared is the final sign.
Severing the chains of a love that was a lie,
Walking into freedom beneath a clear, blue sky.

https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd

Begging You to Read My Book

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

This is a request from the bottom of my heart. I put a piece of their soul into this book, dreaming of the day it would find its readers. I’m asking you, begging you… please be one of my readers. If you’ve ever wanted to support an author’s dream, if you’ve ever wanted to get in on the ground floor of a new series you can fall in love with, please give The Shadow Realm Chronicles: Maeve a chance. This is how dreams live or die. Please. Read it. Fall in love.

https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd

Feelings

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
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Feelings (When you know you are being left out.)

The laughter comes through drywall, thick and low,
A happy static I don’t get to know.
I’m in the kitchen, pouring out a drink,
And on the very edge of what they think.
It isn’t cruel, it has no pointed sting,
This accidental orbit where I swing.

The door swings open and the sound cuts clean,
A sudden silence wipes the vibrant scene.
A smile is offered, quick and paper-thin,
A pause, before the story can begin
Again, but different. Softer, and more staid,
A careful, edited version, newly made.

And in that quiet that my presence brought,
A frantic question in my mind is caught:
Was my name just a whisper in the air?
A punctuation mark they couldn’t share?
A punchline or a problem or a plea?
Was the last word they swallowed simply “me”?

There is no proof, no evidence to find,
Just shifting shadows in my worried mind.
A glance that might mean nothing, or mean all,
The way a friendly gesture seems too small.
I’m chasing ghosts of words I never heard,
And judging every single action spurred.

It’s like a hum beneath the floorboards, faint,
A phantom ache that merits no complaint.
For what is there to say? “I feel a dread
About the secret things you might have said”?
They’d call it madness, and perhaps they’re right.
So I just stand here in the fading light,
And smile, and nod, and never let them see
The terrifying space surrounding me.

Check out more work by Nancy Ann Creed

Maeve- https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd
Matthew- https://books2read.com/u/bzNZYj
Justin- https://books2read.com/u/mBKzLZ
Maurelle- https://books2read.com/u/bzN19D
Annabelle- https://books2read.com/u/bWqEkx

Finally

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
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The words were stones I swallowed, one by one,
A silent quarry buried in my chest.
My truth was hidden from the light and sun,
A fragile bird that never left the nest.
I learned the art of nodding, of the smile,
A placid surface on a churning sea.
I’d let the silence linger for a while,
And lose another little piece of me.

But something in the quiet finally broke,
A final weight I couldn’t bear to hold.
A sleeping giant in my spirit woke,
A story far too precious to leave untold.
It wasn’t rage, it wasn’t born of spite,
But a calm knowledge, steady, deep, and true:
I had a right to stand within my light,
And my own voice deserved to travel through.

The first word caught, a tremor in the sound,
Then found its footing, resonant and clear.
I felt my feet sink solid in the ground,
And watched my long-held hesitation disappear.
The thoughts I’d caged for years came rushing out,
Not as a scream, but as a steady rain,
Washing away the fear, the shame, the doubt,
And breaking every link upon the chain.

I spoke of lines you’d crossed with casual ease,
Of feelings discounted and pushed aside.
I didn’t ask, I didn’t say my “please,”
I simply stated what I felt inside.
The air was thick, your face a strange new sight,
As if you’d met a stranger in my place.
And in that moment, bathed in honest light,
I finally owned my story and my space.

The world did not collapse, the sky still held,
But in my soul, a universe had changed.
The stifled narrative was now propelled,
The pieces of myself rearranged.
This voice is mine, though it may sometimes shake,
It’s learning now the music of its song.
And for my own heart’s weary, precious sake,
It’s where my truth belonged and will belong.

More works by Nancy Ann Creed

https://books2read.com/u/bMMWnk

The Shadow Realm Chronicles

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

Find out what happens to Maeve and her family.

Many years ago, darkness tore apart the worlds. They called it the Great War, for it was massive and involved all the realms of each world. Enemies on either side grew their armies for battle with heavy casualties. New allies formed out of this bloodshed while old ones crumbled.

The world of the Faye changed forever as their king descended into madness. His name was Julian. He once was a loving ruler, but those times were long gone. The pages written about him now are full of rage, blood, and hatred. Hatred for his children who grew to love others and revolt against him and his rule. Hatred for his wife, who fled with his children and hatred for all the realms that were not under his rule. Julian needed his children because they were powerful. Each one controlled one of the four elements: wind, water, earth, and fire.

Even though his children hated what he had become, they remembered the good in him and were perhaps the only ones besides their mother who did.

Marius, the leader of the vampires and Jonathan, the ruler of The Shadow Realm, fought alongside Julian, but they did not trust him. Each of these three men was scheming against each other as they all wanted to come out the victor.

Jonathan had many plans and plots forming in his head, but they all revolved around Maeve. Maeve was a fairy, but she lived in a quiet world. The one world that was protected from the Great War. Jonathan didn’t care what Julian or Marius did as long as it didn’t inter- fere with his plan, but interfering was what they did best. Jonathan had great plans for Maeve and her family, but he knew little of her connections to Julian’s family.

The Great War might have been over, but another one was looming in the distance, and it all began with a lonely mother named Maeve.

The Shadow Realm Chronicles: Maeve

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

Check out the first book in my series the Shadow Realm Chronicles. The series is almost done. Two more books to come which are both being edited now! Stay tuned for more! All books are available on Kindle for 3.99 and they are part of Kindle Unlimited! The link is at the bottom of this post.

Many years ago, darkness tore apart the worlds. They called it the Great War, for it was massive and involved all the realms of each world. Enemies on either side grew their armies for battle with heavy casualties. New allies formed out of this bloodshed while old ones crumbled. 

The world of the Faye changed forever as their king descended into madness. His name was Julian. He once was a loving ruler, but those times were long gone. The pages written of him now are full of rage, blood, and hatred. Hatred for his children who grew to love others and revolt against him and his rule. Hatred for his wife, who fled with his children and hatred for all the realms that were not under his rule. Julian needed his children because they were powerful. Each one controlled one of the four elements: wind, water, earth, and fire. Even though his children hated what he had become, they remembered the good in him and were perhaps the only ones besides their mother who did. 

Marius, the leader of the vampires and Jonathan, the ruler of The Shadow Realm, fought alongside Julian, but they did not trust him. Each of these three men was scheming against each other as they all wanted to come out the victor. 

Jonathan had many plans and plots forming in his head, but they all revolved around Maeve. Maeve was a fairy, but she lived in a quiet world. The one world that was protected from the Great War. Jonathan didn’t care what Julian or Marius did as long as it didn’t inter- fere with his plan, but interfering was what they did best. Jonathan had great plans for Maeve and her family, but he knew little of her connections to Julian’s family. 

The Great War might have been over, but another one was looming in the distance, and it all began with a lonely mother named Maeve. 

https://www.patreon.com/nancyanncreed

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/nancyanncreed

The Fairy

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Photo by Marko Blažević on Unsplash
The sun hit her long chestnut brown hair highlighting the golden hues.
Her wings glistened in the sunlight as she dried herself and turned. 
She smiled looking at him, with her gaze falling to his eyes.
His sea-blue eyes that made her blush but who was he?
He was in awe of her beauty, of her wings and her eyes.
Her green eyes looked him up and down.
He knew her; he knew her gaze.
It warmed his soul as he stood there wanting to go to her.
Wanting to touch her, to talk to her, but he found he couldn’t speak.
The fairy twirled as she dried the rest of her clothes,
Whirling her wand around her emerald dress.
The man watched her with a yearning smile on his face.
He knew at this moment; the fairy was to be his.
The fairy, however, bowed and vanished before his eyes.