Category Archives: Prompts

NaPoWriMo2017, Day 3: Reliquary

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Reliquary

On Sunday morning under orange bougainvillea,
Your picture spills from an old album.
You were on a verandah under purple bougainvillea,
drinking the hot noon from your coffee cup
as I drank passion fruit and watched Lake Tana birth the Nile.

Later, kneeling by the river, I made my hand into a cup,
but you called out that slow death swam the blood
of those who touched the river,
while behind you on harsh branches,
black birds barked stark music.

Now, on Sunday morning under orange bougainvillea,
half a world and half a life away,
 I restore you to your proper place, remembering how,
when they laid you down to dream beneath the purple bougainvillea,
it was passionfruit’s sweet poison that flavored my life.

 

Please also see this elegy: https://judydykstrabrown.com/2016/10/11/look-up-poem-for-a-good-good-girl/

The NaPoWriMo prompt today was to write an elegy.

One Word? Absurd!

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One Word? Absurd!

In truth, if I may be so bold,
these one-word prompts just leave me cold.
They do not give a hint to me
of what the topic’s meant to be.
If I want a prompt so curt,
so brief, so blunt, so short and pert,
I could go to a dictionary;
but one word simply doesn’t carry
enough thought to jog my mind.
I do not like prompts of this kind.
So WordPress please just heed my plea
and send a sentence prompt to me.
Then I’ll shut up and cease my rant.
But answer one word prompts? I can’t!!!!

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/divide/

Judy’s Writing Prompt Invitation: Absence of Malice

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Absence of Malice

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
                                                                         ––Robert Hanlon

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.

You’ve Been Waiting for It! New Prompt from Judy!!!! “Why Do They Call Him Hugo?”

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                                                                         “Hugo” and Diego

                                                  Why Do They Call Him Hugo?

I was recently asked to post another prompt for readers and something just happened that has brought a topic to mind.  I’ve had workers here for almost a month working on my doggie domain. (If you don’t know the backstory, just search on my blog, using the words “doggie domain.”)  As you know if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, I have three dogs named Frida, Diego and Morrie (in descending order of size and mischievousness). Just now I heard Francisco ask Mateo, “Where is Hugo? Diego is here.”  Since I don’t have a dog named Hugo, it suddenly has occurred to me that both men call Morrie “Hugo.”  I’ve heard them do it before, in spite of the fact that they’ve asked his name several times and I’ve always told them his name is “Morrie.”  Please write an essay, short story or poem exposing your answer to the question, “Why do my Spanish-speaking brilliant construction engineers call my dog Hugo?”

You can send your answer as a comment and I will reprint it on my blog with a link to your blog.

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                                                       Frida–She who prefers to be alone!