55 - Feline Flight

She had enough of confinement, monotonous food and insipid entertainment. So one day while the bipeds were at work, she took their biggest suitcase (the purple one), filled it with her favorite bedding, toys, a sack of Iams and a bag of catnip, and prepared to hit the road. Adventure and excitement would be hers!

Got a story you can tell in 55 words? The G-Man wants to know!

By the River

I would take you

to the river,

green water,

stars above,

quiet,

peaceful,

ripe for secrets,

if only

you would share

for an hour,

for a night,

take a chance,

put your troubles

in a basket

in the water

and let it float away.

Sins of the flesh

need not be sins

of the heart,

but you saw danger,

blinked first,

and doubted.

Forget what you think

you know.

Dare to trust,
leave your nest.

Take my hand

and be my

co-conspirator,

my accomplice,

clever partner

in a crime

that is no crime,

soon forgotten

here by the river,

where by morning

all our memories

will be swept away.

This was written for The Sunday Whirl.

55 - Pioneer

Old man Guenther had a grist mill

and for years sold the finest flour,

but he wanted to go one better

and build a big stone tower.

It reached far above the tree line

and people talked of it far and near.

Guenther made his fortune by thinking big!

You could say he was a...pioneer.

Got a story you can tell in 55 words? The G-Man wants to know!

55 - On a Mission

Convert all the heathens.

Teach them to pray.

Then put them to work.

Have them build things all day.

Make them build walls.

Watch them plant seeds.

Make them do penance.

Have them do some good deeds.

So what if some died?

Insist on submission.

They didn't mean to be evil.

It was just...their mission.

Got a story you can tell in 55 words? The G-Man wants to know! 

Barter

You would pay me

in the same coin

as the others:

vacuous words,

meaningless,

mendacious,

manipulative,

as short on truth

as they are sumptuous

in praise

and empty flattery.

Whether I be

sassy and vivacious,

or solemn and mundane,

your language is the same,

as if I were:
automaton,

everygirl,

just another double-x

to swoon at generic promises

slathered on

without regard

to what is real.

Oh, master of shopworn formula,

I reject your payment.
And you, with singular charm,
deflect all efforts
at barter.

I doubt you'll reconsider,
but if

on some violet evening,

you have a change of heart,

please ask me who I am.

I'll look at the stars

spread like diamonds

across a vibrant sky,

then take your hand

and make a deal:

Trust me

with the currency

of your truth.

I will guard it closely

to my heart,

and give you mine.

This was written for Sunday Scribblings and The Sunday Whirl.

55 Courting

She was the worst girlfriend he had ever had: sneaky, abusive, and a thief to boot! Most of his friends said to dump her. A few recommended revenge. But one, more romantic than the rest, said to show her his true feelings instead. "Court her," he suggested.

And after due consideration, he did just that.

 
Note: My husband took this picture inside Philadelphia's Colonial Courthouse while on a trip last month.

Got a story you can tell in 55 words? The G-Man wants to know! 

55 - Customary

He lived according to some odd habits, inspecting peoples' goods, whether they wanted him to or not, and demanding money according to an obscure set of rules that only he understood. Many declared his behavior unfair and unkind, but there was little they could do.

The man was an eccentric. His antics were just his...custom.

Got a story you can tell in 55 words? The G-Man wants to know!