Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

First Flight

The interviewer wanted to know whether Bird was scared when he jumped out of the nest for the first time.

Bird said, “Technically I didn’t ‘jump’. I flew. My wings moved. Soon the nest was far below me. I don’t know how it happened. It’s not like jumping. There’s a difference.”

The interviewer wondered, “Really? What’s the difference?”

He clarified, “You see, any monkey can jump out of a nest. You know as well as I do what will happen. I’m not going to go there. But birds, well – how do I put this? We don’t jump. We fly.”

Linked to Carrot Ranch August 13 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “first flight” for these 99-word stories.

Clouded #writephoto

A cloudy trail for special walks,
Humble nonetheless,
Justice loving mercy and
A chance to praise and bless.

Linked to Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt. The photo above was provided by her for the prompt.

Sue Vincent’s Image for #writephoto

Stay

I often want bright blooms to stay
But they perhaps are restless too.
There’s more ahead for them to do.
They serve their seeds which go away
Like snowflakes on a winter’s day.
Nor have I stayed long anywhere. 
I might live under skies less fair
Or wander somewhere else and try
To find bright blooms that please my eye
Or serve in ways that show I care.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge using “stay” as a rhyming word in the a position of the abbaaccddc rhyme pattern for this ten line form with eight syllables per line.

One of my poems has appeared in Potcake Chapbook 7, Murder! – Poems of killings past and present. I am grateful to Robin Helweg-Larsen for accepting it.

From Useful to Useless

I held the pottery in my hands and noticed the crack across the bottom. It would not hold water but perhaps it was still useful.

When I placed it in the donations box I noticed an edge. I picked it up again running my thumb to test the sharpness and drew blood.

While bandaging my thumb I realized it was not safe to donate. After wrapping it I dropped it in the garbage chute and heard in the dumpster below the impact which split it in two.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge Six Sentence Story Word Prompt with the challenge word “useful”.

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

One-Liner Wednesday – The Variety of Dreaming

Most dreams I’ve had did not come true. Thank God most of them didn’t too.

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

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

Collage

The ocean water's not all blue.
The prairie's not all green.
What's in between is what I've seen
And what I trust is true.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of “collages”.

Also liked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. The phlox and tiger lilies were at their peak in Vince’s yard so we celebrated the day by watching the butterflies, bees and whatever came by to enjoy his yard which brought smiles.

Sunday Walk

Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, at the very end

Erica Sommer, Prayrer for the Sullen

Lava Hot

When twelve Brett told his aunt that chickens were dinosaurs. She laughed. What a stupid kid.

Brett’s mind was lava hot, hot enough to melt chaos into understanding. After reading that chickens were dinosaurs he looked at the hens in the chicken house who’d peck when he reached for the eggs they were sitting on differently.

True, they were smaller. True, they had feathers. True, they didn’t really run like Tyrannosaurus Rex.

When seventy another nugget of reality melted in his ever hot lava lamp of understanding. What if his old aunt was right? What if they weren’t dinosaurs?

Linked to Carrot Ranch’s August 6th Flash Fiction Challenge. Charli Mills offers the theme of molten lava, real or metaphoric, for the 99-word stories.

Fantasy #writephoto

With fantasy
The leaves turn green. The water's blue.
With fantasy,
Though doubters dreaming differently
Won’t see the tower that I do,
I clean my windows. See what’s true
With fantasy.

Linked to Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt. The photo above was provided by her. The poem is a rondelet described by Ronovan.

Sue Vincent’s Image for #writephoto

Prize

What’s tentative fell to the ground,
But reason helped it stay afloat.
The words came choking on the throat.
The premises felt less than sound.

Defeated, dropped but then re-found
Where will this walk in circles go?
It leads to home. We didn't know
The autumn prairie took the prize
On blooms that mirrored sunny skies.
So likewise seek what you would show.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge where the rhyme word “prize” is to appear in the d lines. The rhyme pattern for this 10-line form is abbaaccddc.