Friday, May 18, 2018

FRIDAY POETRY DAY: Mother's Day, Then And Now

In the early days of May
The house filled with sounds
Of not so quiet whispers
And joyful giggles
As Mother's Day surprises were planned.

When the big day arrived
They brought handmade cards 
And gifts made at home or school
Presented with smiles and declarations
Of "I love you, Mommy."

Years later, all grown up
With families of their own,
That day in May is nearly forgotten--
Remembered with a quick phone call,
A hastily chosen card, a few words on Facebook.

They don't seem to remember
That the greatest gift they have to give
Is just to give her themselves.



Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Story Fragment #23: Rick

I awoke with a jolt, looking immediately at my bedside clock. Four o'clock in the morning--really? Who plays music loud enough to wake the dead at that hour?

Slowly orienting myself, I realized the sound was coming through the walls, from the apartment next door. I had heard from other neighbors that Rick, the occupant of that apartment, was something of an eccentric character, but I had yet to get to know him. No time like the present, I supposed.

After throwing on some clothes and picking up my keys, I exited my apartment and knocked, loudly, on Rick's door several times. When he finally opened the door, he blinked several times as though perplexed by my presence.

I introduced myself as his relatively new neighbor, then got right to the heart of the problem. "Would you mind turning down your music? I have to be at work at 8 AM, and I was counting on at least two more hours of sleep."

Again he looked at me with confusion in his eyes. "What time is it, anyway?"

"It's 4 AM," I explained patiently.

"Really? When I get deeply involved in what I'm doing, I lose all track of time and can't even remember if it's day or night."

Monday, May 14, 2018

Character Sketch: Robert

Robert is one of the quirkiest people I know. He can hold entire conversations with himself, voicing both sides. He holds conversations with the family cat as well, as though the cat has responded or understands him. He will begin conversations with people mid-thought, expecting them to understand what should have come prior to his spoken words.

His appearance can also be unusual at times. His gray hair will often be standing on end, going in various directions, much like Christopher Lloyd's character, Doc Brown, in the Back To The Future movie series. When he is the privacy of his own home, his clothing is often mismatched, with some very "interesting" color combinations.

He knows a wealth of trivia facts, particularly about music and movies, and what he doesn't know he can usually find out easily.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Be Careful What You Wish For

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(This is a first draft, and I have plans to do some work on it in the near future)

(This story came from Story Fragment #8--Genie Under The Sea)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

I was not having a good evening. My best friend, Jill, had set me up on a blind date with her cousin Hudson. He was a nice looking man: he was six feet tall, had an athletic build, and blonde hair and blue eyes, along with an engaging personality. However, his choice of restaurant left a lot to be desired.

Some people might enjoy the idea of dining in an Italian restaurant located at the bottom of the ocean, but not this woman. I have a deep-seated fear of being underwater, which stems from nearly drowning in a swimming pool at the age of three. I had spent most of the evening teetering on the verge of a panic attack.

As I left the table to visit the ladies room, mentally willing myself not to lose my dinner, I ran straight into a rather exotic looking young woman.

Excuse me,” I stammered. “I’m not feeling well, and I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you all right?”

Yes, thank you,” she purred, her accent one I couldn’t place. “And because you reacted so kindly, I have a gift for you—any three wishes you make this evening will be granted. The only rules are that I can not bring someone back to life and I can not make someone fall in love with you.”
Are you serious?” I looked at her in amazement. “What sort of prank is this?”

No prank, mistress. I am a genie, and I am granting you three wishes in exchange for your kindness to me. Whenever you decide on your first wish, just whisper it to yourself and it will be granted. But I must warn you to consider your choices and wish wisely.”

After a quick trip to the ladies room, I headed back to the table where Hudson awaited me. I considered telling him about the strange encounter, but after looking around the restaurant and not seeing the mystery woman anywhere, I chose to keep that little nugget to myself.

Hudson smiled at me and asked if I were enjoying the view. Considering the view was ocean water and fish, and I was still feeling like I might throw up at any second, I answered as honestly as I could.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. But I do wish we were on dry land instead.”

Something like a sonic boom occurred, and I closed my eyes, thinking of ducking under the table, sure the glass of the restaurant had shattered. Then I realized hiding under the table would be futile, as I would drown no matter where I was. When I realized there was no torrent of rushing water, I cautiously opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was Hudson, still sitting across the table from me. He had a serious “deer in the headlights” look about him as he stammered “Where are we and how did we get here?”
Thinking that was a ridiculous question, and that we must still be in the restaurant, I broadened my view to look beyond my date and our table. In that instant, I realized why he was so shocked and confused. Instead of the underwater restaurant where we had been just seconds ago, our table now sat on a rocky beach alongside the docking area of the submersibles which ferried people to and from the restaurant. It was incredibly dark, which was going to make eating our meals a difficult task.

I wish we had more light,” I muttered angrily. Instantly, a bright spotlight shone on our table, nearly blinding the both of us.

Seriously? Come on! That wasn’t really what I had in mind!” I exclaimed.

Hudson looked at me quizzically. “Do you know what’s going on here?”

I’m afraid I might,” I confessed. “Remember when I went to the ladies room earlier? I literally ran into this woman—a very exotic looking woman, no less—and when I apologized, she gave me some line about being a genie and granting me three wishes for being kind to her. Apparently I’ve used two of them already, and that’s what got us in this mess. So I guess I have one last wish to try to put things right. Any ideas?”

At this point,” Hudson huffed indignantly,”I’M wishing this entire evening had never even happened, and that I was at home watching a football game.

You could be on to something there,” I readily agreed. I closed my eyes tight, and whispered my last wish: “I wish this night had never happened, and that we were both at our own homes.”


When I opened my eyes again, I was in my warm flannel pajamas, curled up on my sofa, with my gray tabby cat purring next to me. I picked up the novel I had been reading, and smiled to myself. The next time I met a genie, I was going to say thanks but no thanks to the wishes!

Friday, April 6, 2018

FRIDAY POETRY DAY: Poem about Poems

Pleasing words and phrases
Ordinary scenes transformed
Emotions spilled across the page
Memories and dreams are shared
Solace often found.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Story Fragment #22: Deception

Tommy looked at his parents incredulously. "You think I did WHAT?" He shook his head as he spoke.

"You heard us perfectly well the first time," his father spat out, as his mother sat with her head in her hands.

"Okay, yes, I heard you. I just can't believe you would think I had anything to do with vandalizing the neighbor's house."

"Mr. Gordon said he saw you running away from the house when he came outside."

"He also told the police it was 1AM, and that he didn't have the porch light on, so he couldn't be sure who any of the people were. And you know me, Dad--why would I put any of those racial slurs on their house? I LIKE the Gordons!"

After a few more minutes of back and forth, Tommy's parents agreed to drop the subject. At that point, Tommy went upstairs and composed an email to the other members of his white supremacy group--"Looks like I'm in the clear. Phase 2 tonight?"