Thursday Doors on Friday
In a place where square does not rule the day anyway, it was very hard to get a square take on these doors without having the door blocked by the very ugly black street sign. The more ornate older sign added to the view, but the ugly black one definitely didn’t!!
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other.”Write a six-word story about what you think the future holds for you, and then expand on it in a post. My six-word story is: In the end, all the same. Here is its expansion:
Universal Biography
In the end, all the same.
Although remembering your name,
eventually no one knows
the you that lived beneath your clothes.
They may see your charming smile,
your tender looks or cunning guile,
but they won’t have the faintest clue
of the authentic, inner you.
Perhaps we start out all the same;
so who’s the one that we should blame
when some turn into Phyllis Dillers
and others into serial killers?
Ghandi, Hitler, Bundy, and
the rest of us, by nature’s hand
instilled with sin or piety
in infinite variety.
But still, at end of life, we fall,
not so different after all.
At the very end of day,
returned to dust, we blow away.
Mom, we’re bored! We need something to play with!!! Can you toss us the little green space man?
Okay, Got it. Thanks, Mom!!!
Oops! Looks like we’re sharing!!!
Okay, Morrie, my turn!!! Morrie? Stop hogging the green man!
Okay. Time for older brother to show you some manners!
Mom: Guys, stop. It’s getting a little too rough. Diego, stop!!!
That’s enough you guys. Morrie, you’re on time out. “But Mom . . .” (Whines a bit. Looks longingly at Diego–and freedom beyond the bars.)
Okay, Morrie. Here’s a toy for you to play with. Your favorite.
You can’t resist tempting Diego with your toy? If you put it so close to the bars, you know what’s going to happen. Right?
Morrie, are you trying to taunt Diego or tempt him or both?
Diego falls for the bait.
And, as you might have guessed, Morrie snatches it back just as Diego is about to maneuver it through the bar. Bad, Morrie, teasing your brother. Now you’ve earned your isolation!!!! (But what does he care? He has “the” toy–all the more precious since his brother wants it, too!)
http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2015/10/31/hughs-photo-challenge-week-4-isolated/
How’s It Going?
Whether I’m going near or far,
my choice of travel is always car.
I like to go at my own pace,
to break away from life’s mad race,
to take that road that leads to “where?”
and see what they are keeping there.
At roadside diners to share a yarn.
To investigate that leaning barn.
A tour or cruise or packaged deal
does not account for how I feel.
They’re too much like our daily life––
alarm clocks, deadlines, schedules, strife.
Serendipity is what sates
while schedule just regulates.
In short, when going over yonder,
I prefer to merely wander.
n response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles.”You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, or car? (Or something else entirely — bike? Hot air balloon?)
Fallen Ladies
For more flowers, go HERE.
“Absence of Malice” Judy’s Poem and Reissue of the Challenge!!!
You never told me you wanted the head of your bathtub rubber duckie attached, Mom!
Okay—the first person to answer my challenge was Marilyn Armstrong. She commented on her own Scottie named Bonnie, which made it a bit hard to construct a poem using as my first words the first words of her eight sentence essay. I actually used each of her first words twice, to enable me to construct a 16 line poem. Here it is:
I’m the owner of a Scottie.
I watch him tear around––
bonnie little terrorizer.
Terriers get around!
Which apparel did he chew up
that I wear every day?
It probably was not his fault,
most Scottie folks would say.
I’m guilty of the dumbest act.
I should have known the pup.
Bonnie little masticators,
terriers like to sup.
Which are the things they like to chew?
That is hardly recent news.
It seems that what their jaws like best
most certainly are shoes!
I’m still waiting for more entries for the challenge. Check out the quote and explanation of the prompt posted on my earlier posting HERE and post a link to your entry in my comments! If I find a juicy one on a topic other than dogs, I’ll write another poem as well, using the first word of each of your sentences as the first word in one of my lines., in order. Your entry can be a story, poem or essay.
Here is Marilyn’s comment I used to spark my poem:
“I’m glad sweet, retiring, shy little Morrie seems to be growing out of his “my jaws, the world” phase. I had one hound who never grew out of it and we lived in a state of siege for 12 years. Bonnie settled down around 2 years old, which is when most dogs seem\ to release those final gas bubbles from their funny little brains. Terriers mature slowly and stay puppy-like longer than most breeds. Which makes them terrorists — but lovable; you may WANT to strangle them, but usually wind up laughing.
That quote has worked for me in so many ways. It reminds me (often) that acts of true malice are relatively rare. Most stuff is done by accident or ignorance or just a flash of “duh” … to which, sadly, we all are prone.”
(Sorry, Marilyn. I missed this last line because it was on a separate page of my document. Since I’d already written the poem and since it would have added an extra line to the second and fourth stanzas, I didn’t go back and add it. Here is Marilyn’s last overlooked line: “But not Morrie! He’s always smart!”
√
My friend Marilyn Armstrong sent me this quote, which at the time applied perfectly to a stupid act I had just unknowingly committed. I’ve decided as penance for my action that I should write a poem to this theme and invite anyone who wishes to join me to do the same–poetry or prose.
The first person who answers this prompt will be my further prompt. I will take the first word of each of your sentences for the first word in each of my lines of the poem. Please note that your entry need not be a poem, but if it is a very long essay or story, I will just take the first words from the first twenty or thirty lines or sentences, lest my poem run on for too long. Use the quote above for your theme and send a link to your piece in the comments below.
Will whomever it was who asked me to post another quotation prompt please identify herself so I can give her credit? I’m crazy busy right now and tried to find your comment, but couldn’t!!! Thanks in advance for the suggestion!!! Judy
P.S. The picture above is not intended as a prompt. It is just an illustration of my stupidity coupled with Morrie’s absence of malice in creating this mess and severely limiting the supply of toilet paper in my house. We all know he went on to much more destructive acts–all with absence of malice. He’s tamed down some and his present hi-jinks have been limited to a construction worker’s back pack and four sponges used to smooth the stucco. And any errant plastic cup that gets in his way.
Marilyn Armstrong was the first to answer this prompt. Go HERE to read my poem based on her essay. I’m still accepting entries for another week, so please give me a link to your blog in my comments section of this post and on November 12th, when the entry period is over, I’ll list the entries of merit and links to all your blogs.
Soggy Lyrics (Singing in the Rain)
Answering the same prompt twice in one year is all wet!!! Go HERE to see my earlier answer to this prompt.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Singin’ in the Rain.”Safe inside, toasty warm, while water pitter-patters on the roof… describe your perfect, rainy afternoon.
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
Looks like someone put the fire out on this tiger!!! (click to enlarge photos.)
For a water lily and more gorgeous flowers, go HERE.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 