1933 - The Watcher

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

dead pines penance mourns folk glimmer graveyard remorse ghostly fragments lover shadowy

The Watcher

The crab looked at him

From the shadowy, glimmering pool.

The faint movement of the eyes,

Showing it was not dead, just still,

Just watching carefully.

He continued along the beach,

The cold, ghostly eyes watched

Him depart, showing neither pleasure

Nor remorse.  Passive relief.

◊

The tide had burdened the shore

With a graveyard of plastic.

Like a lover scorned,

The sea returned our gifts.

I wonder, he thought,

Whether the planet mourns?

Whether it pines for the times

When folk still cared for it?

Before we fragmented.

◊

Back in the rock pool—

Displaying patience, not penance,

The crab watched.

And waited.

◊

1932 - Flying Solo

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

preys brews fly glow forest cave monster spin hidden filter head stick

Flying Solo

A faint glow through the curtain

Announces the sun has risen.

Above a bed, a fan spins slowly.

There is a large lump in the bed

Beneath the woollen blankets.

Inside this blanket cave is a man.

He stirs, slowly, reluctantly.

Eventually his head sticks out

From where it had been hidden,

Groans and retreats again,

Until the persistent drone

Of a lone circling blowfly,

As urgent and manic

As only a blowfly can be,

Becomes too annoying to filter out.

He pulls back the curtain

And surveys the rich forest

That was once his lawn,

Wonders idly if there be monsters

In those woods, a monster

That preys on blowflies, perhaps?

Probably not, he decides.

He sighs, pulls the curtain closed,

Brews a strong coffee, drinks it,

Puts in yellow foam earplugs

And returns to bed.

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1931 - Lost Property

 

MLMM Monday Wordle #499 

presents the following words for us to work with:

crutch, wool, warmth, settle, kind, dog, lonely, secure, push, hand, slip, press

Lost Property

It's amazing what is left behind:

One crutch, of the aluminium kind,

One wooden press, with well-dried flowers

One VHS of Fawlty Towers

One lady's bright red satin slip

Some garlic extract for fighting thrip

One well thumbed IKEA catalogue

One studded collar, to suit a dog

Or perhaps for some adventurous mate,

One very rusty iron gate.

Three woollen socks, different shades

A pick, an axe, and three old spades

Some kind of sex toy, in a velvet box

Two not working cuckoo clocks

One lonely teapot, blue and chipped

One printed copy of a TV script

One child's pusher, wonky wheels

One large jar of pickled eels

One old box of dried dog food.

One rubber dummy, slightly chewed,

Used to help a young child settle

One bright orange whistling kettle.

One hand warmer, rather cold

One wedding ring that may be gold.

One wooden box, painted red

Its lid secured by some thread.

A floppy jumper: for warmth, not looks,

One cardboard box of sundry books.

Umbrellas of all shades and sizes,

Football trophies and swimming prizes

Half a pint of woodworking glue,

Every day there's something new.

◊

1930 - The Pitch

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

anchor search moment laugh find inhibits comfort always want squirrel spaz auto

The Pitch

An advertising man proposes a name for a new cider.

“You want something that welcomes,

That oozes comfort and familiarity,

That people will know and search for,

Something that stops them for a moment,

Makes them laugh, makes them happy,

Something that puts them on autopilot,

Something that makes them buy,

Buy by the crateful, to squirrel away

Beneath the stairs, always ready,

So that it is anchored in their mind,

So that it is easy to find when needed,

Where nothing inhibits their desire.

It is spicy.  It is made from Jazz apples,

I recommend you call it SPAZ.”

“No.”

◊

1929 - The Devil Fish

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

show backbone beings believe bit storm stream ring scratch tempting devil hunch

The Devil Fish

The storm was coming.

It showed in the slate grey clouds

Building on the horizon.

But he believed

That it was the best time to fish.

Besides, he had promised 

To bring home some dinner.

So he was tempted

To fish, just a bit longer…

Sensible beings were already ashore

But he had a theory, more a hunch,

That the fishing is best in a storm.

All he needed was the backbone to hold firm.

He let the line stream out

For just one last try.

Nothing.

No nibbles.

Not even a pull, a scratch on the line.

Just rain.

Torrential.

Drenching.

Rain.

◊

Back in the pub,

With a ring of enthralled mates,

He told his tale of derringdo,

Of his fight with the Devil Fish,

The one that got away.

“It was this big”, he said,

Holding up his hands,

“Between the eyes”, he added.

◊

1928 - The Scarecrow

 

Image by ChatGPT - a bird's-eye view.

MLMM Monday Wordle #497
presents the following words for us to work with:

must, wake, shake, make, shock, smile, brave, walk, plan, hands, pants, sad 

The Scarecrow

The day wakes.
He stands there 
As the morning sun
Throws long shadows
Across the field.
A morning breeze
Makes his pants flutter,
Dislodges a straw or two 
From the rough tuft
That protrudes
From his sleeves—
A sad excuse
For a pair of hands.
His head, 
A straw-filled pillowcase
Has a brave but crooked smile,
Done in black marker.
No eyes.
No hat.
Sartorial elegance
Does not reach as far
As this field.

The plan was
For him to scare 
The birds.
Don’t be shocked
But I must report
That the birds 
Walk all over him,
Shake their wings
To loosen up
For the day,
And then sit
Surveying the field
From the top 
Of his head.

◊

1927 - Terminological Inexactutudes

 

Image by ChatGPT

MLMM Monday Wordle #496
presents the following words for us to work with:

tome, words, come, think, read, change, because, tired, process, original, safe, gamble

Terminological Inexactitudes.

Tome?  Tome?  Really?

“Oh, I say!  This is a magnificent tome.

You really should immerse yourself in it”.

What a lot of pretentious twaddle.

Immerse myself? 

Come children, it’s bath tome!

What is wrong with ‘book’?  

And, come to think of it, is it read?

Or, for a change, does one peruse?

And does this tome contain words?

Or is it full of vernacularisms?

I need to know because I am tired

Of having to process everything 

Into some pompous folderol.

The original, common, words are clear,

Unambiguously safe and certain.

Why gamble on lexical ostentation?

◊