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?

◊

1926 - To Oblivion, I give a Toast

 

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

wallow tag find music swelling bell delirium spell pales knowing just senses

(Oops, the prompt word was swallow, I lost the s somewhere.  Not about to change anything now.)

Posted to Poets & Storytellers

To Oblivion, I Give a Toast.*

I love general anaesthetics!

You may find that odd,

Put it down to pre-op delirium,

But I am comfortable with that.

Just by knowing that I will shortly

Have one of the best sleeps

I will ever experience 

Thrills me,

Swelling my chest with anticipation.

True, there is the awkward issue

Of the reason for being there

But it pales beside a good sleep.

Wheeled in, tags on both wrists, to be safe,

Gentle music to soothe the senses,

A brief spell while they get ready,

But no time to wallow in the situation.

“Count backwards from one hundred”.

“One hundred.  Ninety…”

Nothing.

Then a bright room, with bells and beeps,

With attentive nurses asking “Can you hear me?”

Delivering tea, weaker than I ever was.

And an egg and lettuce sandwich.

◊

*Well, an egg and lettuce sandwich, if the truth be known.

1925 - Ambush

 

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

casualties phase profit drop folly cold hungry dawn complicit evil stream reckoning

Ambush

"An army marches on its stomach" 

– Napoleon (attr.)

Battalions.  Invaders.

Marching side by side.

Tramping through the night,

Into neighbouring lands,

Bringing a reckoning.

There will be casualties, of course,

How could there not be?

No military operation

Can be without them.

Which only magnifies the folly.

The strategy is to profit 

From the maneuvers—

And so they march, side by side,

Streaming into new territory.

The residents are not complicit,

They are unwilling victims

In an unequal battle.

The invaders are greedy, not evil,

Just hungry for the spoils…

In the cold, crisp light

Of the breaking dawn

The lettuce seedlings

Will be no more.

◊

Also posted to dVerse Poet's Open Night.

1924 - Open the Other End

 

MLMM Monday Wordle #494
presents the following words for us to work with:

child, protect, solitude, anger, searching, haven, cost, frustration, why, judge, safety, notice

Open the Other End.

“Do not eat the packaging.”

“Stand facing the urinal.”

“Remove child before folding stroller.”

“Do not iron clothes while wearing them.”

◊

The nanny state smothers us.

In the name of safety

They treat us like children—

To protect us, they say.  Why?

Why do we need such mollycoddling?

Everywhere there are notices

That judge us stupid.  Or worse.

They raise not awareness

But anger and frustration.

At what cost?  What have we lost?

So here I am, searching for a haven,

Searching for not solitude

But a door out of this asylum.

And the sign on the door says:

“This door is alarmed”.

So am I.

◊