Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

SSC&B: Rhyme, Meter and Heart

I went back to the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro and found the tall, thin man setting the automaton up in the foyer as Doctor Zoltan Mystic and Seer who apparently could answer any question for 25 cents though he specialized in fortunes.

Finding a quarter in my pocket, I asked Zoltan, “What does a poem consist of?” and Zoltan raised up a card upon which I read: RHYME, METER AND HEART, BUT YOU BETTER USE THE PROMPT WORD FOIL SOMEWHERE IN THIS TALL TALE OF YOURS BEFORE YOU RUN OUT OF SENTENCES.

Wow, I thought, that was a more accurate answer than AI would have given me.

Perhaps reading my mind Zoltan gratuitously raised up another card upon which I read: I CAN EVEN WRITE THAT POEM FOR YOU AND FAKE THE HEART JUST LIKE YOU WOULD.

Wondering now if he was any better than AI, I inserted another quarter to ask him if he ever ran out of cardboard stock upon which he wrote those messages.

Up popped another card which read: HOW WOULD I KNOW?

Denise offers the prompt word “foil” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Matthew 10:32

Linda G. Hill’s One Liner Wednesday.

*Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com*

Six Sentence Story: All X’s No O’s

Jeff asked the gent who greeted him, Is this heaven or the other place? The gent searched for Jeff in the quantum computer and up popped a document giving full details of Jeff’s judgment.

So which is it?

Jeff was prepared to argue that he had been as good as the next guy ever could have been to foil any attempt to send him to that other place. After reading the details of the judgment the gent turned to Jeff with a welcoming smile.

It says right here that you have been assigned a room in a decent-enough-for-you mansion to be shared with all your exes and their exes and their exes’ exes and those exes’ exes’ exes and so on, so you tell me where you are.

______

Denise offers the word “foil” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Trail: South Beach of Miami Beach

Where should I go this week? Miami Beach is about 7 miles long with a north, mid and south beach. South Beach is the most famous.

When we are in the area we stay in the north beach area, but we will use bicycles or the trolley to go to the south, park them and then walk around one step at a time.

Posted for Pepper’s One Step at a Time.

This is part of the wall protecting the beach from the many ships arriving at Miami.

This is a wave on fine sand. I am amazed how smooth and flat it is. Thankfully there is some material a previous wave brought to shore.

A view of the beach and the wall from the pier.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Foliage

Dale offers the prompt “foliage” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

He adds, “let’s capture some greenery up close, before the changing colours of autumn are upon us”.

Here are some of my captures.

A pond with blue-green algae (I think) over it hidden by green trees

Tunnel under the train tracks with many trees around them.

TToT: Second Shelf Far Right

The theme this week is what is on the second shelf far right of one’s bookshelf. I have three actual bookshelves, but one huge bookshelf in the garage made of wooden boxes.

I am thankful to the Lord for everything mentioned below and all of His other blessings.

(1) The Golden Book of Poetry and (2) Complex Variables (to be read someday)

(3) The Book of Forms, (4) Edward Lear and (5) Herrick

(6) Genetic Entropy, (7) Compact Time, (8) Concepts of Simultaneity and (9) the Psalms

(10) Grat that there is nothing exposed on this second shelf, far right

Magical Nothing

Oh, there once was some nothing that said,
“I am nothing, just something you’ve read
or you’ve heard. That is all
and my tales are tall,
but with nothing your minds have been fed.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Linda G. Hill’s One Liner Wednesday.

Six Sentence Story: Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

During the homily Father Thomas said that if you want to see God make sure you have a pure heart. William, a freshman in high school, didn’t like it when Aunt Cecelia poked him from the pew behind them when it looked like he wasn’t paying attention, which he often wasn’t, as she did just then.

After Mass as Father Thomas stood at the entrance of the church ready to shake hands and chat with anyone who was not trying to rush out unnoticed William stopped to ask, Father Thomas, can we see God if we look at someone whose heart is pure? Father Thomas thought and then answered, Those pure in heart may be the main way that God lets those with impure hearts get a peek at what they’re missing.

Outside William’s parents – surprised by their son’s sudden interest in such matters – and Aunt Cecelia – who realized her nephew was getting a little too old to poke – felt it best not to say anything further.

Years later recalling Father Thomas after admitting decades of mistakes, William got the peek at what he was missing that he had been promised when he finally opened his eyes.

______

Denise offers the prompt word “rush” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

I am grateful to Greg Doles for posting this song along with many other songs by The Porter’s Gate on his blog, Chasing Light.

Trail: Lake Bluff

When living in Illinois I occasionally got a chance to visit the cliffs overlooking Lake Michigan at a small town called Lake Bluff. The ravines were beautiful, but the photos below were of the lake and autumn trees.

These photos, however, are from long ago.

Posted for Pepper’s One Step at a Time.