55 - Courage

She thought being brave meant charging into battle, standing up to tyrants or rescuing a child drowning at sea. Then she put on ballet shoes for the first time in thirty-five years. Twice as old as the others in the room, she put her game face on and approached the barre.

Courage takes many forms.

About Friday Flash 55: The challenge is to write a complete story in fifty-five words. If you've written a 55-flash, let The G-Man know!

Game Theory

Feint, parry, reassess.

Is this war

or just a game?

Check and mate.

We move our pieces

in the dark

so no one else can see

the racing mind

quivering hands

blood pulsating

with eagerness,

anxiety,

fear.

Anything to distract

from drab reality.

Each move you make
keeps me hooked,

curls its tendrils

into my brain

and around my heart.

Is this zero-sum, my friend?

Here there are no rules.

(No rules.)

The only way to win

is not to play.

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.

Satellite Radio

Long ribbon of road ahead.

Miles before our next stop.

Alone in a lonely land

with only hares,

hawks,

the wind's sigh,

and the sounds of

Jimi

Janis

Johnny

Jerry

Voices of the dead

beamed by a satellite

that winks in the velvet sky above;

one more diamond

among constellations,

but always traveling,

just like us,

sending our quota

of song.

This is a Sunday Scribblings post.

55 - Weather Museum

How to preserve that special dew from the morning roses? Or that terrifying thunderstorm, or the mist that rolled in late one night and curled itself around each tree and trellis?

It took a bit of doing, but finally he found the perfect place to keep and share these memorable things for years to come.

About Friday Flash 55: The challenge is to write a complete story in fifty-five words. If you've written a 55-flash, let The G-Man know!

55 - Useless Bay

On a damp afternoon on a cold autumn day,

I found the loveliest place to play:

a haven of solitude far from the fray.

But to my sorrow and thorough dismay,

It was a hazard; I was told stay away.

So I got in my car without delay.

No fun for me on Useless Bay!

About Friday Flash 55: The challenge is to write a complete story in fifty-five words. If you've written a 55-flash, let The G-Man know!

Living in Paradise

search

reach

grasp

look under every rock

(I know it's around here somewhere.)

I could have my heart's desire

if only I were:

prettier

smarter,

younger

richer,

anything (and anyone)

but

who I am.

Then I could attract

the person

the money

the job

the fame

that would lead to

Paradise,

instead of having to accept

that everything I

need

might be here already

(inside)

(ignored)

(overlooked)

(undiscovered)

inside of me.

This is a Sunday Scribblings post.

55 - Grim Swim

They said he wasn't fit to swim.

For sure, no others looked like him!

So he decided (on a whim)

To innovate, not be so prim.

So out he went, all full of vim.

His situation soon was grim.

Oh, how could he have been so dim?

Now he was stuck; his hopes were slim.

Note: Although I didn't see their usual note, I suspect Knitta, the local yarn taggers, of putting this fish on the pedestrian bridge over the freeway.

 About Friday Flash 55: The challenge is to write a complete story in fifty-five words. If you've written a 55-flash, let The G-Man know!

55 - Success Story

They said that I was useless, just a pet for their amusement. I didn't earn my keep and was living on their charity. Well, no more! I began hanging around the community college up the street. I took some vocational classes and learned a trade. Now I'm a trained chef and my future is assured!

About Friday Flash 55: The challenge is to write a complete story in fifty-five words. If you've written a 55-flash, let The G-Man know!

Hanging

you keep me hanging
by a string

a thread

thread of life

thread of hope

I hope

these nagging thoughts
are nothing

but idle worry

fantasy

fear

of being played
for a fool
fool for love
fool for you

mismatch
between expectation

and
desire

wish

dream

of being with you

in all honesty

without assumptions

needs

jealousies

of what can’t ever be

so that we take
whatever comes

at its own pace

without looking
for subtext

context

pretext

just you

and me

and truth

letting go

and coming back
together

whenever

forever

amen

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.