I wrote this during my holiday in Türkiye with my parents last Christmas. It started off as a sort of diary, with the writing slightly stylised if that makes sense. I gradually added to it and I'm not quite sure what this is really- a sort of reflective diary/poem? Either way, it's a piece of creating writing that I wanted to share :)
This piece is about feeling trapped, but ends discussing the feeling of freedom. My second piece, called 'Freedom (Water)' focuses on freedom, with a shift towards feeling trapped at the end.
Lying in bed in the hotel room
Gazing through the windows at the turrets of the Kremlin Palace Hotel
Further out, the multi-storey blocks of flats, which at night glitter enticingly
And over all, the mountains watch over
There is life outside, there are real people, not just hotel guests and hundreds of staff
There’s noise and dirt, haggling, harbours, smells and sights
There’s history and culture; poverty and squalor
The golden gates of the hotel resort glare in the sun
Inside them, there’s anything and everything one could ever want:
A beautiful room, complete with queen sized bed, marble bathtub and shower, TV, sofa, a minibar that’s topped up everyday, room service at the press of a silver button and a spacious balcony.
There are two heated swimming pools; one indoor, one outdoor, an outdoor pool that spans I know not how many acres, a coiffeur, a nail salon, a gym, spa, sauna, steam room, relaxation room, and any massage and treatment you could wish for.
There are nine a-la-carte restaurants, twenty two bars, and you can eat and drink for free at any one of them, at any time of day.
As you pass through the lobby, a cake shop lures you to its sparkling glass windows.
Cake upon cake upon cake, every type imaginable
There's also eclairs, cheesecakes, doughnuts, fruit tarts, baklava, chocolates, mousses, crème brûlées.
And the selection changes everyday.
There’s a cinema, a bowling alley, entertainment every night (last night we had the South African boy band).
Oh, and don’t forget the private beach and aquapark.
There’s even a shopping centre, so why not invest in a diamond necklace and fur coat?
Inside my room there are golden-legged tables, and a deep, long bath where I’m able to lie down, fully submerged.
Close your eyes and let the soapy bubbles cover you; the orange and bergamot smell overpower you.
Let yourself be transported to another world, just as long as you stay inside.
Inside the room, inside the bath.
So I sit here, gazing out. I’m trapped. I can’t escape.
We’re miles away from anywhere, in the middle of nowhere, all of us in this Golden Palace.
I want to be
Free
I want to dance in the streets, run through the markets, swim in the sea, laugh under the stars.
I want to swell fresh pomegranate juice round the inside of my mouth, feel its sweet rich tartness trickle down my throat.
That is what freedom tastes like.
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