poem

my mother called her friends girls

my father called her friends broads or birds
but he called my mother his wench

my uncle called the girls skirts or dames
but sometimes he used the b word

my big brother always said ma’am

for 42 Words

share your world

In your opinion, what’s the closest thing to real magic?

A really good magician. Magical.

Where is the worst smelling place you’ve been?

Sulfur gases near the fumaroles of Hakone volcano, Japan.

What are some things that you’ve heard in your own life, which sounded like compliments but were actually insults?

Compliments from campmates for the latrine I dug, the sides of which crumbled, toppling several fellows into the ditch.

What incredibly common thing have you never done?

Drink tea.

for Share Your World

astral bodies

saturn and jupiter have been hanging out together in the night sky recently. last night the moon, full, passed under them.

when i look at them – the two planets – i think of galileo, who spent so many hours tracking the moons of jupiter. he couldn’t make out the rings of saturn, which appeared in his telescope as bright spots on either side of the planet, spots which had disappeared the next time he checked, but his discovery of moons circling a planet other than earth was monumental.

it makes me smile to gaze up at worlds so far away, and yet so bright in the sky.

for The Weekly Smile

haiku

resources dwindle
consequences ripple through
i just make it worse

for Ronovan Writes Haiku Poetry Challenge

the virus

who won the week? i’ve got to give it to the virus this week. all those new cases! the tireless epic spread!

sure, there have been some careless crowds helping it along, but mostly the spread is the work of relentless virus-hopping from person to person, here and there. hard work adds up!

for Fandango’s Who Won the Week?

haiku

half-eaten body
of opossum: not the peace
i dreamt of finding

for On-Line Writer’s Guild

dear diary

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

moved into our new home today. our old home was a mess so it was time for a change. now that we can’t cut down trees anymore, we’ve gone underground like everyone else.

helps manage the heat if you go deep enough.

once settled we followed the law and demolished the old homestead and planted trees in its place and around the grounds.  a mixture as specified by latest studies, to assure biodiversity and create fire resistance. also planted bushes. as a plus for being good citizens, we got to include fruit and nut varieties.

so, more trees to take in carbon and breathe out oxygen. some future generation will live on a temperate earth.

we’re digging a tunnel to our next-door neighbors. carol is my best friend so that’s a good thing. good fences make good neighbors but we’ll settle for a little door in the tunnel that locks from both sides. our parents don’t want carol and me yakking all day long.

at night it’s almost cool. some local trees have ladder slats nailed to them so you can climb almost to the canopy. up there through gaps in the branches you can see the stars.

for Sunday Photo Fiction

fortune teller

“welcome. come in and sit down.”
“ha ha. this was a birthday gift. needless to say, i don’t believe in any of this.”
“just the same, i want to give you your money’s worth. coffee or tea?”
“well … sure … coffee please.”
“here you are … now i’ll just lay out the cards … so … you’ve met someone or you are going to meet someone.”
“ha. that would be annie.”
“you are attracted to annie.”
“sure. who wouldn’t be?”
“but there are difficulties.”
“what kind of difficulties?”
“you are shy. your position is a modest one. you have been unlucky in love.”
“now hang on … i’m … but the coffee is good…”
“bottomless cup. let me top you off.”
“thanks … so … you’re saying it’s hopeless?”
“is annie beautiful?”
“well … not really. but she’s beautiful to me, if you know what i mean.”
“is she above you … in position … is she smarter than you?”
“look, i’m not an idiot. i’ve had plenty of experience … or bad luck … but annie, she’s just, you know, a young lady new on the job. you say i’m shy, but if i am, she is too. is she smarter than me? probably in some ways but not in others … one of my friends … well, one of the guys , was making fun of her. what an idiot. i told him to shut up, he was acting like a jerk. i told him she was definitely better looking and smarter than he was.”
“have you asked her out?”
“no, not yet … so you’re the fortune teller. tell me my fortune.”
“you’re going to ask her out and then you’re going to come back here next week and tell me what happened.”

for Sunday Writing Prompt

haiku

male lark’s strong ascent
falcon’s descent the fastest
creaky, i go slow

for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Saturday Mix

home

Born in Nature, Dead in City

for Saturday Six Word Story Prompt