One True Thing

I yearn for one safe place

that flames cannot consume,

nor life's betrayals erode,

for like all whose feet

are made of clay,

I am hunted

in my waking hours

(and in the inky hush of night)

by Time:

immeasurable

relentless

in a race that cannot be won,

and will end in a winding sheet.

But though my body bends

and mind breaks,

still I gather pebbles

and pile them on the shore.

Each one is a story,

a little myth,

a fable:

important

Because although I
pay my dues,
chase the shadows,
collect my prizes

and display them upon the shelf just so,

it is only the story that matters,
and tales are all I have.

This was written for The Sunday Whirl and Sunday Scribblings.

55 - Transparent

He said he wanted a good job and was willing to work hard. So we gave him a corner office with a window, a new computer and a nice big desk. But soon enough, he was chasing after what he really wanted.

He denied it, but everyone could see the truth.

Squirrels can be so...transparent.

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

55 - Lost in Time

It seemed like just an ordinary day - sunny, pleasant, a good day to tie one's cravat, slip one's feet into buckled shoes, put on the tricorn hat and go for a little stroll. Yes, it was an ordinary day, but for the oddly-dressed people staring and giving him funny looks.

What was their problem?

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

Too Soon

Friend of my youth,

mainstay of my best years,

soon to be my betrayer.

How daunting is the thought of your departure!

Commonsense says
turn away;

cut the knot,

lean on less ephemeral friends.

But who am I without you?

Decades of:

validation

adoration

fastidious cultivation of this relation,

which made me raise my chin with confidence

because you were by my side.

How could I leave you before it’s time?

Instead I cling to you

with the intensity of a drowning man

who thinks he cannot swim.

Oh, I could be too clever,

learn to find my own way
in the dark;
lean on truer truths
and teach myself to be strong.

But not yet. Not now.

I will whisper incantations
while I rouge my cheeks
and my pat my coiffure into place.
Then I will take your hand
and beg you let me eat of the apple
all the days of my life.

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.

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!