Category Archives: Daily Prompt

Life Piles Up

You know that this can happen. It’s silly asking why
the books and papers pile up from desktops towards the sky.
You do not dare to open the window that’s nearby
lest the papers blow away to flutter yon and nigh.

I wish I had a simple life with time to do it all
so I could post a picture to prove it to y’all
that my house is super organized and tidy and pristine.
My life as orderly as tasks spewed out by a machine.

Unfortunately, nothing stays in its usual space.
A new thing starts before I’ve filed the old thing in its place.
Boxes from camp still stand in rows out in my garage,
while papers from last April’s trip slide down in a barrage.

I cannot find the cord and mike that belong to my amp.
Perhaps they’re buried deep within the boxes left from camp?
Or other boxes in my car from events even older?
I think perhaps dealing with life is more than I can shoulder.

Somehow I think that WordPress may have gotten word
about my loaded desktops. I know it sounds absurd,
but if you’re keeping track of prompts then surely you have noted
that lately this one topic is one on which they’ve doted!

I told you you just four days ago–I’ve cleaned off desk and table.
I promised I would clean the rest when I was free and able;
and so today I’m sorting books and papers and detritus,
but to this prompt I’d like to say, “WordPress, kindly bite us!”
IMG_3608Okay, the desk area in my bedroom that I promised to clear off the other day is a little bit better.  To check up on that by comparing to its state just four days ago when we had  a very similar prompt, go HERE.

IMG_3606In the meantime, the desk in my sala hasn’t piled up again–much. So please, WordPress–no more nagging.  I’m as organized as I’m going to get for awhile.  Okay to check up again in six months.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Sweeping Motions.” What’s messier right now — your bedroom or your computer’s desktop (or your favorite device’s home screen)? Tell us how and why it got to that state. (Note:  Okay, i must admit when I read “your computer’s desktop” I was thinking it meant the desktop my computer sits upon!  So, I may have misunderstood the prompt, but oh, well.)

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Although this is a picture of my childhood friend and me, it is used for illustrative purposes only. The poem is fictional and in no way describes either one of us.

Fidelity

“We’ve been friends since we were skinny!”
–Anonymous

Yes, we grew up friends and stood up at each others’ weddings.
She was there for all my break-ups. I was there for all her beddings.
And though she thinks I’m poorly dressed and I think she’s a snob
who only talks about her “things,” fashion and her job.
And though she lets her eyes stray, like she finds my talk is boring,
and puts polish on her fingernails  while mine are apple coring.

Though she prefers the opera while I like the Avett Brothers,
and dines on caviar while Burger King is more my druthers.
While she shops for Michael Kors, Yves Saint Laurent and Fendi,
Ross Dress for Less is where I shop for clothes that are less trendy.
She drives a new Mercedes while I drive a beat-up Chevy.
While she works out at her health spa, I have let myself get heavy.

Yet none of this has ever put our friendship in the skids.
I pat her little yappy dog. She puts up with my kids.
For though we’ve evolved differently,  she still is my best friend,
and the history between us means our bond will never end.
Though she lives in a mansion and my house is a dump,
Just one thing could divide us. That is–if she votes for Trump!!!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Delayed Contact.” How would you get along with your sibling(s), parent(s), or any other person you’ve known for a long time — if you only met them for the first time today?

The Prompt: Write a piece of fiction describing the incident that gave rise to the phrase, “third time’s the charm.”
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Charm School for Cinderella

Stir the pot round and round
until no essence can be found
of division between root and seed
between your wishes and the deed
that brought you here to my woods abode
for me to birth and coax and goad
fate to give you what you wish–
Prince Charming on a golden dish.

Throw this leaf to spin and bubble.
It removes your courting trouble.
Stir in this bleeding heart and mold
to wrest affection from the cold.
Now stir three times with unfaltering arm.
One time, two times, three time’s the charm!
And lest you find these arts disarming,
remember, the result is Charming!

 

 At Fourteen

There is a whole world out there and you’ll see it soon enough.
It is the world inside of you you’ll find especially rough.
Try to write about it, and try to tell the truth
about the things that happen that you find uncouth.

Write about what hurts you, and hurts that you have done–
all those shadows in you brought into the sun.
Ask those around you why they act in ways that might seem cruel
and try to live your own life by the golden rule.

Take chances and do not be cowed when you achieve less
than what you might have hoped for, and when you’re wrong, confess.
Don’t just do what your friends do. Don’t act before you think.
However strange the ones around you, try to find a link.

The world has enough meanness. Try not to add to it.
Try harder in environments where you seem not to fit.
People who are petty will cut you like a knife,
but the chances that you take will be what will make your life.

Other people’s rules pinch like a too-small shoe,
so don’t let other people dictate what you do.
Do not fear to step aside and go out on your own.
The fields that yield the sweetest crop are those that you have sown.

Post this advice up on your wall and read it now and then.
Use it as a means to reassess where you have been.
Then when you are older, and your life grows thin,
do what I am doing now. Consider it again.

 

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “From You to You.” Write a letter to your 14-year-old self. Tomorrow, write a letter to yourself in 20 years.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Simply the Best.” NASA is building a new Voyager spacecraft that will carry the best of modern human culture. What belongs onboard?

*A copy of the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver
*A recording of Townes Van Zandt’s “Snowin’ on Raton” performed by Gretchen Peters & Tom Russell
*A video of the birth of a child
*A video of children playing a nonviolent game
*A video of a sunrise and sunset
*The recipe for baking powder biscuits
*An Apple MacBook Air
*A pair of Crocs sandals
*A bottle of Bacardi Anejo Rum
*A glass jar of chocolate pudding plus a recipe for making it,
*A recipe for dark chocolate ice cream
*A book showing pictures of flowers
*The picture of a tree
*A satellite video of an entire revolution of Earth
*Pictures or videos of a representative sample of the animals on Earth
*Life-sized replicas of a human male and female and a video of their movements and speech
*A copy of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence
*A copy of the human bill of rights
*A video of a performance of Swan Lake
*A video of a performance of break dancing (Or whatever is current. Sheesh, am I out of it!)
*A video performance of “The Voice.”
*A sealed glass jar of seeds from flowers, grass, trees, vegetables and fruits.
*A pair of Levis
*A lock of human hair
*A jar of nonpolluted air
*A jar of water
*A solar panel
*A sampler of bills and coins from several nations
*A Credit Card
*A profile from OK Cupid
*An art book of famous paintings and sculpture
*A picture of mountains
*A home video of a family interacting
*A copy of the film “You’ve Got Mail”

I could go on forever with this, so I’m just going to stop.  I had lots of other things indicative of life on earth and then saw that it was supposed to reflect the “best” of modern culture, so I took out the jar of polluted air, the jar of petroleum, etc.  Interested to see what others have said and to see what i’ve left out!!

 

The Billionaire

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                                          The Billionaire

If I were to win a billion dollars, I’d open a cultural center in San Juan Cosala, the town I live in in Mexico.  It would include free art studios where anyone could come to paint, sculpt or learn computer graphics.  There would be a ceramics class, paper making, metal smithing–any art form that children or adults wish to learn, and I’d hire both local artists and artists from abroad who could come teach workshops to make the art experience fresh and expanding.

If there were any leftover money (ha!) I’d build a free hospital for local residents and for any children from Jalisco with birth defects or other debilitating conditions.

I would establish one hundred free college scholarships a year and hire the young people who availed themselves of these scholarships to come back and implement the changes in their village that they feel are necessary. I would also provide the funds so that all children could go to school and hire wonderful teachers who would stimulate them and make education a delightful opportunity.  It is true that Mexico has free schools, but also true that many children do not go to these free schools because they can’t afford uniforms, books and school supplies.

Then I’d buy a simple house with five bedrooms on the beach, use it myself for two months of the year  and loan it out to people from my village who could use a vacation or take children or adults away for art or writing workshops.

I know this is a very simplified version of huge projects that would take years of planning, but since this is a fantasy anyway,  I’m clicking my fingers and there.  It’s done!!!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “You’re a Winner!.”You’ve just won $1 billion dollars in the local lottery. You do not have to pay tax on your winnings. How will you spend the money?

Morrie’s New Adventure–Epilogue, Continued.

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IMG_1689Looks innocent, doesn’t he?

Morrie’s New Adventure–Epilogue, Continued.

(To see earlier episodes of the adventures of Morrie, go HERE and HERE.) When last we saw our furry fiend, uh, friend, there were three mysteries left unresolved:  why were the curtains tied up in a knot, why was the sewing machine now out in the hall, and what was in his mouth?  I just need to add three more elements to the mystery. IMG_1730

Why are the handmade dolls formerly hanging from the curtain rod now lying in a heap on an upper shelf?

IMG_1732Why is the CD player/radio Yolanda listens to while ironing
in the (former) guest bedroom now in the bathroom?

IMG_1725 and just what is this in the waste paper basket?

IMG_1726 My old style phone that I use when the electricity goes out?  What is it doing there? All of these mysteries will be solved as you get a look at the scene that faced me when I opened Morrie’s door last night. (For those of you who haven’t seen earlier episodes, Morrie needed to be put in seclusion following surgery of a delicate nature that we won’t go into here.  Suffice it to say that the doctor suggested I keep him quiet and away from the other dogs, so I cleared out the guest room [more or less] and had an extra gate put up on the side of this room to afford him a small exercise area and  since he easily fits through the security bars, I left the door and screen cracked to let him in and out.)

Okay, back to our story. The time is early yesterday evening and yes, I was  blogging.  I heard a very loud BANG and surprise! It was coming from the direction of Morrie’s room.

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This is the scene that greeted me when I opened the door.

IMG_1708 The curtains were down.

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As was the very heavy copper rod that held them up.

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The dolls formerly hanging from the rod were in a  heap on the floor

IMG_1715 As was the telephone,

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Which, thanks to Morrie, I have now retired.
(You’ve already seen the final resting place for the phone.)

Eyeing the cord to the sewing machine and Yolanda’s radio/CD player, I knew they could only be next, so the boom box was relegated to the bathroom and as you know, the sewing machine was relegated to the hall.  And this is how the room’s contents shrunk by yet another third. IMG_1605

Are you sorry for this, Morrie?  Morrie?

Morrie seems to be heading for something, but I’m not sure what. Okay, Morrie, time out.  Want to come to bed with your mom for awhile and KEEP OUT OF TROUBLE?

IMG_1628 Okay, I know you didn’t mean to do it, so let’s have a little loving and then Mom needs to get back to work on her blog, okay? IMG_1619 You just stay down there and no more licking, okay?  You already licked all the lotion off my face and neck and hands..but I’m kind of squeamish, so no more licking?  okay?  We’ll play again after I get the blog posted! IMG_1627Uh, Morrie? I can’t see the computer with your head there, okay? Can you watch me from just a little further away?  Okay, just one more rub and then . . . IMG_1688Go lie a little further away, okay?  And stay there okay?  Are you okay with that, Morrie?  Feeling happy to be in bed with Mom?  Isn’t that enough, Morrie? IMG_1626Okay, boy, you’re getting a little too close for comfort again, and ooops!  There goes my computer, let me just grab it here, and. . .

IMG_1616Okay, fine.  Lick my feet for awhile. Just don’t come up here
and drool on my computer again, okay?

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And–here he is again!  Do you have any hint about why it is taking me two days to post this post?

Okay, Morrie, let’s go find you a toy! How about my rubber duck with a cowboy hat, Morrie?  What do you think about him?  Your toys all seem to be gone!

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Ah, you like him, huh, Morrie? That’s right.  Lick the duck!!!!

IMG_1690But, don’t eat him, okay, Morrie?

IMG_1685Did you hear what I said, Morrie? Do what my mother used to tell us to do with gum, and just hold him in your mouth!!

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Morrie!  Look what you’ve done!

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You’ve not only bitten off cowboy duck’s cowboy hat, you’ve chewed off his whole head! Where is it, Morrie? Oh my God!  Did you eat it?

IMG_1692Okay, Morrie, you’re looking kind of crazy, now. Calm down and give it here! Morrie! IMG_1693Morrie!  Don’t snap at your mother!!!  Give it here!!!

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Oh, poor rubber duckie.  Nothing left but his kerchief and vest!

IMG_1689So you feed bad about what, Morrie?  Because you killed the rubber duck
or because you didn’t get to finish him off?

Definitely, not innocent!!!

THE END????

I’m hoping these pictures are odd enough to qualify for Cee’s oddball challenge this week.  See her own and other oddballs HERE.

F

Re”tire”ment

When I was younger, my mind turned on a dime.
I did what I had to do in very little time.
But now that I am older, things don’t go so fast.
I’m not “spur-of-the-momentish” as I was in the past.

I don’t throw big parties as I did in former days,
for dealing with the details just puts me in a haze.
I can’t do many things at once without getting confused.
Now I simply write my blog while once I danced and boozed!

At first I felt ashamed of how my life is slowing down,
hating that I do not seek the company of town.
But then I noted patterns in nature around me
and saw that this is simply how our lives are meant to be.

Each thing in its season and each thing in its time
is how our lives are ordered—to accept this is sublime.
Why do I need to live my youth and middle age again?
Why not just accept that this is how my life has been

and go on to the next stage without sadness or regret—
going on to see just how much better life can get?
Yes, it is the pits to get arthritic, slow and hazy;
but we are compensated by excuses to be lazy!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Heat is On.” Do you thrive under pressure or crumble at the thought of it? Does your best stuff surface as the deadline approaches or do you need to iterate, day after day to achieve something you’re proud of? Tell us how you work best.

Mum’s the Word

If you’ve read my posts on Africa, you already know more about me than my mom ever did.  Once, years later, when I asked my mom if she would like to know the full story about why I stayed in Africa instead of traveling with my sister when she came to visit me and then coming back to the U.S. with her, my mother said, “I never told my mother anything that would make her feel bad.”  Case closed.

There was a whole part of my life my mother never knew about by choice.  She never knew that I was nearly killed twice while I was there, or that I initially stayed because I was in love with an Ethiopian man.  My sister knew all because she was there when the shooting took place, and I had told her about the kidnapping, but she never told my mother.  In many other ways, I am very like my mother, but there are some other genes surging through me, because I always want to know everything and I will almost always ask for the “rest” of the story.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Dear Mom.”: Write a letter to your mom.  Tell her something you’ve always wanted to say, but haven’t been able to.

DSC09670Guitar Envy

Today’s prompt asks us to tell about a talent I’d love to have, but don’t. I answered this prompt a year and ten days ago–on my birthday, actually.  Please go HERE to see that response.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Practice Makes Perfect?.”