1373 - Drylands

 

Image by ChatGPT

Elephant's Child presents 5-10 words for us to use some or all in a creative writing piece.  

This week's words are:

Beating, Evidence, Remaining, Temperature, Stench, Excessive, Oppressive, Exposure, Dryland, Cover, Pink

Drylands

He stands: still, sombre.

Looking at the landscape

That lies parched and cracked;

Landscape that was once green,

Was once lush, was once supportive.

Now the sun is beating down—

Relentless, oppressive, piercing

His heart, his soul, his land.

The wind carries the stench

Of dead sheep.  His life.

And yet, despite all the exposure

He says there is no evidence,

“Just like the drought of ‘44” he says.

The temperature climbs,

Crows eat his dead sheep.

When there is nothing remaining

Will he change his mind?

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1372 - Idle Thoughts

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

 

This week's words are:

chain, justify, sloshing, works, clatters, choice, sirens, distant, crows, raw, puzzle, short

Idle Thoughts

"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep." -

 W.C. Fields 

It’s 1am.  Wide awake.

Counting a chain of sheep.

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.

Warm milk. Walnuts. Chamomile.

Gentle music.  No Wagner.

Wide awake.  Nothing works.

It’s 2am.  Wide awake.

Time, they say, flies

When you are having fun.

I’m not enjoying this.

Idle thoughts are sloshing,

Tumbling, churning.

It’s 3am.  Wide awake.

Distant chimes of the clock.

Sirens in the distance—

Bad morning for someone?

Maybe it’s a birth.  Hope so.

A puzzle to add to the mix.

It’s 4am.  Wide awake.

A magpie practices its chords.

Shouldn’t it be asleep?

Wonder if crows practice?

Probably there is no need to,

Not all that melodic really.

It’s 5am.  Wide awake.

Clatters from the street.

The rubbish trucks passing

Funny choice of a job.

Maybe not a choice.

Short end of life’s stick.

It’s 6am.  Wide awake.

Pondering the universe.

The universe ignores me.

The brain does too. Traitor.

The sun is getting up.

Reluctantly, I do too.

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1371 - Sock and Awe

 

Sandy presented the prompt: "A Magical Piece of Clothing".

Research has shown that people feel more naked if not completely naked.

That's magical.

Sock and Awe.

There's a psychological maxim that shocks:

It's the 'how naked do you feel?' paradox.

While you feel quite exposed

When not wearing clothes

You feel even more so just wearing socks.

◊

An aside: ChatGPT wouldn't draw me two legs with red ankle socks

as the implied nudity breached it's morality algorithm.

Good old Google search to the rescue.

1370 - The Book

 

Image by ChatGPT

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

 

This week's words are:

grief, scarf, cradle, list, growl, swaying, sky, force, electricity, hazy, charm, secrets

The Book

The scarf is old and faded.
The box within its folds
Shiny with oriental lacquer
Bearing unfamiliar symbols.

The book within the box
Is cradled in a velvet-lined
Close fitting protective recess.
It looks new and untouched.

The writing within it is like lists,
Written in a strange script.
Are they recipes?  Charms?
Prayers to an unknown god?

He works for weeks, at night,
Until the hazy veil is lifted
And the book’s deep secrets
Are laid bare before him.

◊

He stands upright beneath
A turbulent, unsettled sky.
The clouds growl and tumble,
They crackle with electricity.

The trees creak and groan,
Swaying with the tempest
That is champing for the release
Of the force of the book.

The book, heavy in his hand,
Seems to also growl and snarl—
Waiting with ill-concealed impatience
To fulfil its grief-laden destiny.

◊

1369 - Dame Mary

 

Dame Mary Gilmore - by Sir William Dobell.

Elephant's Child presents 5-10 words for us to use in a creative writing piece.  

This week's words are:

Extra, Wisdom, Memories, Corner, Imposing, Dark, Shoulder, Femininity, Strength, Manners, Green

Dame Mary

Tall. Imperious,

An imposing figure—

Expressed in dark tones,

Black and green.

You sense the wisdom

Born of the ages.

The strength is apparent

But feminimity is present too.

Her demeanor conveys

A will of iron

Cloaked in good manners 

And a frilly collar.

◊

1368 - The Divide

 

The Divide

A walk in the rain.

It's only on the outside—

An inner sunshine.

◊

1367 - Layers

 

Layers

Stripped of all layers,

Cold, naked and terrified—

Foetal position.

◊

1366 - Lone Pine

 

 Image by ChatGPT

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

This week's words are:

flashy, facades, free, takeover, destruction, power, despots, low, hope, heart, hold, how

Lone Pine

"Old men declare war. 

But it is youth that must fight and die." 

-- Herbert Hoover

The bugle plays ‘Last Post’.

Many wear medals—

Pinned over their hearts,

Not flashy, just proud and reflective.

Some of them hold photos,

All remember.

◊

He stands apart,

Pondering the destruction

That lead to the scene

Unfolding before him—

The loss of lives,

The façade of righteousness,

The display of power,

The despots fought and beaten.

But what leader is not a despot

If given the chance?

They attend these events,

Take over the role of defender

With platitudes of hope and freedom—

But are less forthcoming

On how we arrived at this point,

This low point of human failing.

Few remember.

◊

A minute’s silence.

The bugle moves the soul,

But not the memory.

Reveille.  

But we sleep on.

The errors repeat.

Few question why.

Best we remember.

◊

1365 - The Companion

Image by ChatGPT

Elephant's Child presents 5-10 words for us to use in a creative writing piece.  

This week's words are:

Brand, Veered, Afternoon, Impromptu, Holiday, Unaware, Companion, History, Paintings, Solace.

The Companion.

The train was gone.

Nowhere to be seen.

The platform empty.

The ticket office shut.

An impromptu stay,

A holiday of sorts.

An afternoon to fill.

The gallery was open.

Paintings lend solace—

An escape, immersion,

Into another world,

A history on canvas.

He is not alone.

She is not unaware

Of his presence

But looks ahead.

The next train is due.

He looks at her.

She looks ahead.

Decision time.

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