1894 - The White Bird of Scorn

"I arrived on schedule. The food appears to be missing. Explain."

MLMM Monday Wordle #480 presents the following words for us to work with:

crow, window, near, time, expect, flight, message, begin, stars, regret, smart, dark

The White Bird of Scorn

Is a white cockatoo

The anti-crow?

Both are smart, true,

But there are differences—

Black versus white,

Meat versus seeds.

Crows are gymnastic stars,

Fearless and in your face.

Crows sit on power poles,

Near but not too near.

Cockatoos, flights of cockatoos,

Appear on time, noisily,

At my window.

Food is expected, demanded,

With dark looks if it is absent,

The message is clear—

I will regret it

If tithes are not paid.

Crows shrug and move on,

Cockatoos begin to

Dismantle your house,

One window at a time.

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1893 - Surprised by Life

 

The Sunday Whirl presented these twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece. 

kindle risk dig until differing chill spin waning  ghost softly alone know

Poet’s & Storytellers: “We shall invite to write about a time you surprised yourself.”.

Posted to dVerse Pub's Open Night,

Surprised by Life

I

Now, in my waning years

I look at the photo, softly,

Look at the happy shadow,

Look at a ghost of myself.

II

He looks so happy,

Sitting on the steps.

Oblivious to all that lies

Ahead of him.

He can’t know, of course,

What surprises,

What different paths

Will present themselves,

Kindle his interest,

Spin stories of ‘maybe’

To invite him in.

III

He will take risks,

Get into trouble,

Dig himself out again,

Sometimes alone,

Often times not.

He will experience

The warmth of love

And the chill of loss.

But sitting there, happy

It is all opaque to him.

Until it happens.

It is one of life’s blessings

That it unfolds slowly.

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