1916 - The Sirens of Aisle 3

 

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

siren chanting startled pulse sighs night basket answers heart shape badge stay

The Sirens of Aisle 3

The list is very specific.

Fruit, vegetables, pulses—

All the things that please

The Heart Foundation

And bear its logo,

The badge of dietary approval.

But once there, basket in hand,

The rhythmic beat is heard—

A subliminal calling,

Like primal chanting in the jungle.

Unconsciously, as if in a trance,

The body answers. “Mmmmm….”

Drawn as if posessed,

Towards Aisle 3,

Unable to stay away

From the sirens who call it.

Sirens in the shape of biscuits.  

Chocolate biscuits.

Until, later that night,

When the groceries are unpacked

You find yourself startled 

To find things there

That you have no memory of buying.

A deep breath, a sigh,

But you have them now

And it would be a waste

Not to eat them.

Wouldn’t it?

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1915 - A Non-Prophet Organisation

 

MLMM Monday Wordle #490 
presents the following words for us to work with:

dashing, morning, bed, forecast, always, sighed, give, neck, head, warmth, laid, part.

A Non-Prophet Organisation

Morning.

A hand emerges 

from the bed covers

And turns on the radio.

The forecast is upbeat,

Promising sun and warmth.

The rest of the body,

Head, neck, shoulders,

Slide slowly from the cocoon

Where they have been hidden

From the morning chill.

No dashing here—

Glacial speed, give or take.

The curtain is parted—

Rain batters the window.

Rain!  As always, the forecast

Was wayward, off the mark.

He sighed, laid his head

Back on the pillow,

And slipped

Under the covers.

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1914 - Chains and Mud

 

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

keys drumming rare morning lazy humming odd whispers open chain urge ghosts

Chains and Mud

They know, of course,

That their good life

Is supported by those

Living in chains and mud—

But living somewhere else.

Those living in chains and mud

And the ghosts of those

Who preceded them

Keep the machines

Running, humming along.

Money machines.

It has always been so.

On the rare occasions

Of friction, with radicals

Drumming up dissent,

Urging rebellion,

The barons dub them lazy

In pointed editorials.

Should those below

Wish the odd morning off

The tame press divides them,

Spreads whispers of betrayal,

And trust vanishes.

The chains remain intact.

Those with the keys

To open them

Have no intention

Of it being otherwise.

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1913 - A Passing Thought

 

MLMM Monday Wordle #489 
presents the following words for us to work with:

once, three, haven, peace, thoughts, why, angry, if, final, love, none, dream

A Passing Thought

We have thoughts

But do thoughts have us? 

Probably not.  Why?

They make us angry.

They convey love.

They create peace—

Or dismantle it.

They torment us

At three in the morning.

There is no escape,

No haven from them.

Or so it seems.

Once they capture your mind,

They seem to have captured you.

But is this really so?

Is it really so final?

Is there no escape? None?

What if thoughts 

Were just dreams,

Just clouds drifting

Across a clear blue sky

And you just watched them 

Passing by?

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1912 - Mulch Ado About Nothing

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

screams desolate temples bone sparks pit voices follow underworld spiral weave current

Coincidentally, it contains 'bone', the prompt from Poets & Storytellers

Mulch Ado About Nothing.

Do worms scream?

Maybe so.

Rumour has it 

They sing though,

With rich baritone voices

As they weave their way

Through the underworld—

Their temples are the compost pits

Of peels, shells and bones;

Spiralling, twisting, writhing

A pink, tumbling current,

In the sea of mulch and decay.

But no desolate lives for them—

They are both male and female

So, when the sparks of love

Warm their wormy loins,

The coupling that follows

Is doubly satisfying.

Perhaps that is when

They scream.

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1911 - Painted into a Corner

 

Image nicked from the internet

dVerse Poet's invites us to use some butterfly names in a writing piece.

Painted into a Corner.

He looked at the brochure—

Glumly, quite dejected.

He was ready to give up.

All he wanted to do 

Was paint his bedroom.

In front of him

Was a multi-page matrix

Of coloured squares,

Each neatly labelled.

◊

Appalachian azure

Autumn leaf

Clipper

Clouded yellow

Crimson Patch

Duke of Burgundy

Fatal Metalmark

Fiery skipper

Gatekeeper

Golden birdwing

Golden Hairstreak

Green marble

Large Tortoiseshell

Lustrous copper

Miami Blue

Monarch

Mourning Cloak

Orange Sulphur

Painted Lady

Peacock

Pine Satyr

Rice paper

Rusty-tipped page

Silver Emperor

Silver-banded Hairstreak

Small Wood nymph

Sonoran Blue

Speckled wood

Spring white

Velvet rose

Wandering skipper

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"I only wanted 'beige'".

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1910 - Pastorale

 

 Image by ChatGPT

MLMM Monday Wordle #488 
presents the following words for us to work with:

light, cast, street, tickle, sensitive, view, cool, pigeon, dance, attract, evening, glow

Pastorale

Warm and amber,

The evening light streamed 

Low through the plaza,

Through the tables,

Through the legs,

Through the pigeons,

Drenching everything

In a golden glow

As if bathed in honey.

It tickled the lavender flowers,

And drew long, dancing shadows 

From the bobbing pigeons.

Locals came and gathered

To bask in the fading day,

Drinking wine or coffee,

Dunking biscotti,

Sharing their lives.

Young children danced,

Revelling in the evening warmth.

The pigeons, always sensitive

To rowdy children,

Viewed them with cool disdain—

At a distance.

Whatever was happening elsewhere—

There was peace here.

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