Photography – Page 53 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Yellowbelly—Six Sentence Story

Early in the morning worried about how he was going to use the assigned word “yellowbelly” in a story Jeremy walked to the ocean as the beach was being raked into a linear pattern perfect in its symmetry until he stepped on it. He saw a bird and considered but then rejected the idea that he might be able to get away with writing a story about a yellowbelly seagull.

Forgetting about the word he wondered where the birds that were coming to shore spent the night, but all they wondered about was whether he brought snacks. Others bored with the sun tossed pieces of bread to the birds who grabbed whatever they could as Jeremy clicked his camera.

Eventually everyone, including the yellowbelly seagulls, realized that the day had indeed begun as expected without their needing to be there at all. It just happened leaving it to those like Jeremy who’d rationalize the joy out of stuff to only step back onto the freshly raked sand and see to his surprise sunrise, birds, beach and even himself as one awesome gift among many others from the Lord for which his thanks was long overdue.

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

Job 37:14
Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

I’ll See You In The Trees

Dale offers the prompt “I’ll see you in the trees” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

Here are three smaller pieces of one photo of sunbathing leaves.

Circle/Square

Dale offers the prompt “circle/square” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

The last one is not a photo, but a TikZ graphic. It was an attempt to square the circle and circle the square and meet the prompt in case the first two photos didn’t quite make it.

Flush—Six Sentence Story

There’s nothing out there that resembles what you’re looking for, Timothy’s inner voice said as he concluded his failed search for intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms wondering—Well, what about non-intelligent life?

There‘s none of that stuff either, the voice answered. Be grateful that there’s life as you used to know it still on Earth.

Well, what about those aliens in their fancy UFOs that beamed me up and experimented on me? he asked.

Yeah, they’re real, but I told you to stop messing with the demonic.

This conversation with his only remaining friend was all Timothy needed to flush away what was left of his feigned composure as he exploded like a supernova into a sequence of big bangs against the padded concrete walls while psych ward orderlies came in to strap him down for further experimentation.

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

The Mediterranean Sea and Jaffa Beach in Tel Aviv, Israel

Against the Sky

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

When the Rains Came

Dale offers the prompt “when the rains came” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Prompt.

Morning Storm — Overflowing clouds send rain

The View Through

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

Yesterday's Sunrise — A View Through the Clouds to the Rising New Sun

Leaves Dark and Light — A View Through the Leaves to a Bright Day Begun

Foggy Reflection — A View Through the Fog to the Dim Other Side

Street Lamp In Winter — A View Through the Snow All Is White Far and Wide

Consequences—Six Sentence Story

If you think you did it you haven’t figured out yet what actually happened.

After reading this message which Arthur found in his cookie he was convinced that the insanity of humanity had finally arrived. The chef hand made these cookies daily chuckling as he wrapped cryptic kindnesses to pass on to his customers.

Although Arthur was offended by the thought of receiving revelation from sources outside his own mental swamp, he had to admit that the soups, breads and coffees were exquisite. Other patrons with their heads screwed on better found the odd messages innocuously entertaining if not delightfully subversive.

Regardless of Arthur’s philosophical commitments the café was so busy that if he actually did boycott it in protest, which he often insisted he just might do one day, the only consequences would be a shorter line for those who couldn’t wait to get in.

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

Show Us Your Bloomers

Dale offers the prompt “show us your bloomers” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. He clarifies that by “bloomers” he means flowers.

The first photo is of blackberry blossoms along the wilder parts of Regent Parkway. I know they are blackberries because I ate some last summer.

The second one is of some pink flowers along a trail through the various communities in the Fort Mill area. I don’t know what they are but I am glad they were there.

Second—Six Sentence Story and Poetry Slam

As Steven entered the computer lab where he cursed a mindless machine a few weeks ago the next second the clicking of keyboards stopped while the students waited to see what would happen. He thought we all knew where he had been and what he had done, but—except for me who heard from a friend of a friend—they likely knew nothing nor wanted to know what he had been up to.

After being dumped under the interstate with the homeless Steven was able to confirm his identity, change his locks and get a new phone. This left him at a point—actually any point on that turning carousel would do—when he had an opportunity to change his mind and follow through by jumping off the merry-go-round.

I don’t know what happened to Steven beyond that point being more interested in my future wife sitting next to me rather than either the assignment on the monitor or Steven’s future antics. I sometimes wondered about him, though, wishing him the best, but only sometimes since both of us, grandma and grandpa now, have had plenty of merry-go-rounds of our own we didn’t want to jump off of even when we knew that was the only way.

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

This is the final story in a four part series about Steven circling back to the computer lab. After the lab it followed Steven to the caverns of a little Babylon. Last week Steven found himself dumped in a homeless camp under an interstate. Today, we are back in that computer lab long, long ago when your grandfathers were dating your grandmothers and your father and mother were still a twinkle in their eyes.

There is also a poetry slam going on this week at the café. I asked Steven if he would like to participate. Unfortunately, he agreed. Here’s his poem.

     Hello.  My name is Steven.  
 I like running my mouth as much as 
            the next guy 
         especially that guy, 
               Frank, 
    who thinks he knows 
       what happened to me 
          in those caverns 
  the second some nosy, UNRELIABLE 
    source who   NEVER!!!!   liked me 
     in the    FIRST    place offers 
   a tall tale explaining 
          why I wasn't in class.  

        What Frank doesn't KNOW
  is I was out saving a damsel 
            IN DISTRESS!!!! 
      ——— yeah, that's right ———
  from the very DRAGONS of Blislisnis 
        HE PUT THERE HIMSELF!!!!  
              
He forgot to mention that.
  
Of course, he'd forget to mention that.