Prose – Page 49 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Shower

The week was hot and Gloria listened to her grandson Brian justify the latest rally with such fervor that she felt his self-righteousness pummel her aging body. She was young once herself, but she wished Brian didn’t have to learn things the hard way just as her father wished the same for her.

In response to her objections Brian increased the force of his argumentation until his mother, tired of overhearing them, called to him from the kitchen. Wiping her eyes Gloria wondered why people couldn’t see how easy it was to waste their short lives.

Brian agreed to apologize and the next morning he brought in a tray with his grandma’s breakfast, but after trying he couldn’t wake her. He yelled for his dad while outside a storm began pounding a heavy shower battling the heat wave.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “shower”.

GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon — GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

One-Liner Wednesday – Tangled

A tangled tongue is better tuned with truth that’s kind and useful.

Linked to Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday.

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

Steward

Jim spent decades getting sick without realizing it. When finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease he didn’t believe it. Sure he had a belly, but he felt fine. Reality smacked him and he rejected all prescribed medications. He would rewind his life’s bad habits starting with his diet.

That took time, but he lost weight. His biomarkers improved. The diet became habitual. Jim forgot he was even on it.

He stopped thinking about himself. He realized he was consuming less. Perhaps even he, old Jim, could steward the earth rather than want to eat more and more of it.

Linked to the Carrot Ranch July 23 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “a story to show what it is to protect nature around us”.

Hunch – Six Sentence Story

Jim noticed the movement of the mist on the pond as he went to the garden. He had a hunch Mary would be tending the vines.

She told him she was pregnant. One can’t escape consequences and sometimes one doesn’t want to.

I could have said they smiled, but no. They laughed and made new plans.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “hunch”.

Don’t Say a Word

Jeremy stepped inside. In his ear he heard, “Stay near the door. Don’t respond to anything they say.”

“Look. That guy’s back.”

“OK, let’s finish this. You’re going to get what’s coming to you. You hear me? No one will care how loud you scream in this place.”

The five men stepped out of the safety of the shadows moving toward Jeremy. When they were visible in the middle of the room, shots shattered the windows.

Jeremy heard a gunfight outside. His earphone went silent. He wondered what happened. Was it safe to leave?

He left the room anyway.

Linked to Carrot Ranch July 16 Flash Fiction Challenge to write a 99-word story with the theme “scream inside your heart”.

Zany – A Six Sentence Story

It was a mistake telling George about those aliens who wanted me to hop on board their flying saucer for some zany experiments.

George explained to me that my aliens either were delusions or they were demons monkeying with me and he didn’t care which I picked as long as I didn’t believe there were actual aliens out there since any rational person knows they couldn’t exist and they wouldn’t exist if they wanted to.

He’s usually right, and so I picked the demonic monkeys.

That’s when a flying saucer popped in front of us and a squeaky voiced alien asked George if he would like to hop in for some nice experiments.

I gave them both an all-knowing smile.

As George hopped in he told me I would have to gaslight myself until he got back.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Stories with the prompt word “zany”.

Feel the Heat

Heat on hotter heat and water on my brow
I walk and wonder why I left the condo
sunny, sweaty, ever smiling anyhow.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Prompt where Dale offers the theme of “feel the heat”.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile.

I don’t know if you can feel the heat in these photos, but after a few minutes of an hour walk, I felt it. This Thursday I am featuring tercets, especially like those Dante wrote for the Divine Comedy, but when I found out how difficult these were having not only 3 metered lines that rhymed but with no more nor less than 33 syllables for each tercet, I wondered if I could write one. Feeling the heat suddenly the above poem popped out. And I smiled (with relief and gratitude).

The Arroyo

A cow is screaming across the arroyo. Looking up I pay attention to what’s around me. I notice the multicolored, fat fish in the arroyo which turns into a pond and then into a wishing well under the skylights of some mall. I photograph them with my phone to prove all this really happened.

The only coin I have in my pocket is a new penny. Perhaps they won’t mind. I toss it into the well so it can sparkle with the others like stars on the ocean floor.

Resuming my walk I wonder, as I likely should be wondering about everything, What was that all about? I decide to write a to-do list for my next walk just in case.

Linked to dVerse Prosery. Linda Lee Lyberg is hosting with the sentence “A cow is screaming across the arroyo”. It comes from Jim Harrison’s poem “Cow” which appeared in Dead Man’s Float.

Smile

These photos were taken only a few days apart last October. I deliberately went out in the falling snow to take the one below. Snow looks misty when it blurs bright boundaries. I also enjoy seeing sharp contrasts such as those made by the autumn light and shadows in the one above.

Thinking back on both of those very different kinds of day when looking for some photos to post made me smile.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme of Showcase 2019 and to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile.

Weekly Smile

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The day was warm, bright and full of fall colors. The thought occurred to me that having happiness may not always be possible, but being joyful regardless may be.

Linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile.