Writings

Writings
Miscellaneous Writings and Musings

Maelstrom

Maelstrom
A genie and her rock band

(Novel and Short Stories)

Steal Tomorrow

Steal Tomorrow
Murder, Mystery, First Love, and the End of the World

(Novel and Short Stories)

My Books and Stories

My Books and Stories
Where to Buy, Read, Download

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.