I am a tree in autumn,
limbs stiffening from
dawn’s first frost,
clinging wistfully to
the dying remnants of
summer, old photographs,
books, trinkets, effigies
of a life lived long and
full, roots deeply
entrenched in the
familiar, yielding to
the wind whispering, it is
time to let go, to render
to yesterday its relics,
to turn the brittle page
in naked abandon, to rest
my soul in the cool present,
to sleep, to dream of
another glorious spring
~kat
Döstädning, which means “death cleaning” in English, is a method of downsizing and organizing from theSwedishauthor and artist Margareta Magnusson. Death cleaningisn’t about getting rid of all your stuff, but rather streamlining your life so you’re only holding onto what makes you happy.
I am moving from my big two story home in a month into a sweet little one level home on a hill in foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hence, I’ve been a little less prolific in my writing here, obviously preoccupied with the details of moving. I am hoping my daughters appreciate my efforts to leave a smaller footprint for them to dispose of when I’m gone. And as for the years I have left (which I hope are many) I am excited to begin a new, simpler chapter. Peace!
About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.
A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.
I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing a new prompt. And if for some reason I missed your entry in the Roundup, as I have occasionally done, please let me know. I want to be sure to include your tale.
“Coffee, I need coffee,” Marcus grumbled as his head bobbed, smacking the metal desk.
As the java brewed, monitors in the observation room started flashing. The alarm system blared. The sprinkler system busted loose. The lights popped to dark.
Don’t Feed The Bears… Where are the keys?! I thought you had them. Why would I have them? It’s your car! Because you said you were driving when the bear showed up. Oh god! They’re in my
purse…out there! Now what?! I guess we wait. Do you think he knows we’re here? Don’t look behind you! He knows!
~kat
275 Characters
By Lady Lee at Lady Lee Manila:
Flash news, there’s a bear
By the road I swear
Stamp his paws with a grunt
I could hear his wail
Crossing the rail
I might have a stroke with this stunt
I’ve got a phobia
Bear and zoophobia
Start the car, here’s the key
Then I heard a shot
Went down on the spot
Carry bear back to the zoo*
(277 characters)
By Graham at Graham is Just My Name: A family trip
Family outings to the zoo were fun, but we preferred, by far, the wildlife park.
We always headed straight to the bears.
We saw one approaching.
I turned to the children in the back seat.
“Isn’t he majestic!”
I heard the click of the back door as it opened.
I screamed.
“The kids lock!”
(279 chars)
By Fandango at This, That, and the Other: Fig Newtons Look, Dad, a bear is coming toward our car.
Wait, why are you closing the windows, Dad? I was going to give the bear some of my Fig Newtons. I bet he’s hungry.
Why aren’t you supposed to feed the bears, Dad? I’m getting out of the car so I can feed him some Fig Newtons.
Dad, HELP!
(279 characters)
By Reena at ReInventions: Mmm…
“Isn’t he cute, Mama?”
“Yes. He is. But you can’t cuddle him like a soft toy. Keep your hands in.”
Click. Click…. Humans…. They never understand we’re a friendly lot treated well. Their interest ends after
a few click sounds. I fancy the cute kid, though .. soft, must be yummy…. mmm (280 characters)
By Jim at Mindscapes.net: Not Your Typical Watchdog “What’s the deal with your uncle anyway? He always has to over do everything!”
“NORMAL people have a watch DOG, not a bear!”
“The least he could do is call that thing off now that he knows we are here.”
“I know we should have called before driving out here but really?”
266 characters
By Mike at The Bookish Recovering Know-It-All: Two Juniors
We had only really wanted just to see them in their Natural Habitat, outside of the cruel and seemingly unnecessary bars of the jail like zoo. Surely, we thought, they weren’t actually as dangerous and wild as we’ve been told on those Nature Shows. “Honey, where is junior?”
(274 characters)
By Jaq at JaquintinWriter: Morning commute
Yepp!
Running late
Detour ahead
Back roads sign
Drivers beware
Black bears crossing
Phew!
Glove compartment spare
Trail mix fruit and nut bars
Bear’s toll cross road one nature bar
Picture transaction captured for souvenir. cc: 228
By Angie at The World of Words:
By The Roadside
“Daddy, what’s that?”
“Dangerous son, stay out of sight… Wait, where are you going?”
The bigger bear could only look on as his cub walked out the bush and up to the metal thing.
The humans inside reacted by screaming.
Daddy bear smiled, “at least they weren’t hunters!”
Character count: 264
By Sadje at Keep It Alive: The trip to the Yellow Stone park would stay forever in my memory. The cub who had wandered on the road in the park looked so cute and innocent. I got out of the car to take a picture of it despite a warning from my husband. I saw the mama bear coming just in time to escape. Character count: 273
By Tien at From the Window Seat: Hitchhiker
“No time to explain, get in and drive!” the black bear growled.
Surprised by the talking bear rather than startled, the man instinctively obeyed. “Where are we going?” he asked politely.
“The Rockies. My friends are having a potluck dinner so I’m bringing you!” the bear replied.
(277 characters)
By Suzette at Suzette B’s Blog: The other side
No time for photo opportunity today. I just want to get to the other side–To my special summer place. There, the cool waters bear plenty of salmon at this time of day. I pause, give a respectful glance, get my bearings, then tip toe around, to the other side.
Total characters: 277
By Rugby at The Bag Lady:
Aftermath at the hospital—
I’m telling you, I read the badge!
What badge?
The one he was wearing! Joe winced as the nurse was finishing up the lengthy stitches in his arm.
I read it – “feed me!”.
The park ranger snorted. “Bears are a lot smarter than you think—scratched off “Don’t”.
280 characters
By Di at Pensitivity101:
Ah, the Meals on Wheels service has arrived. I’ll just call the gang!
69 characters.
By Joem at Does Writing Excuse Watching?:
New Staff
notice: due to tight budget we are forced to reduce park staff and rely on volunteers for cleanup and security. please be patient as they settle in, and observe the following rules: do not feed staff. staff accepts cash only. do not fraternize with staff. thank you.
By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go: Truly A Legendary Story Goldilocks’, and the Three Bears’, descendants are awfully posh. They’ve taken to staging an annual reenactment of their famous moment. Tickets are prohibitively expensive. To have seen it live is to be a part of the elite in their world. I wish I could.
(258 characters)
By Regina at Help From Heaven: Giving the Forest Back to the Animals
“Look, Mama, a bear!” declared young Jonathan from the backseat! I cried, as I watched the animal roaming free in his natural habitat. Cutting down trees for houses and strip malls has ended. Giving the forest back to the animals is the most humane gesture we have ever made.
(276 characters)
By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It: Bear In The Road
“Found a bum and an old car that runs. We could go back to the amusement park and camp out in the shed again,” Ron says. Linda agreed and they piled in the car and headed out. No one seemed to be following them. “Is that a bear in the road?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Well drive around it.”
276 characters
By Lisa at Tao Talk: Kitty
Yes, I remember when we took the kids to Yellowstone, back when black bears roamed freely across the road; often blocking cars for handouts. Timmy was only 3 at the time. I recall looking back and seeing Timmy roll down the window, pointing and crying out, “Kitty! Kitty!”
[275 characters]
By Deb at Twenty Four:
“Can we go to Canada?”
“Why?”
“I want to see the bears.”
“They’re not like Yogi, you know?”
“I know, can we go?”
“Only if you promise not to do something stupid.”
“Like what?”
“Like trying to get out the car when you see one so you can get the perfect picture.”
“Who me?”
“Who else?”
By Kristian at Tales From the Mind of Kristian: Barely Believable
As they drove along the quiet forest road, Dorothy was startled to see something waving ahead. She’d seen hitch-hikers before but not like this one.
A huge bear was waving her down!
She considered herself a nature lover so she decided to stop.
What’s the worst that could happen?
[280 Characters]
By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Bruno was really very pleased with his new SUV.
It wasn’t the precise colour he’d wanted, but the layout was superb, and the extras far surpassed any other make.
It was the first car to be fitted with a bathroom.
Bruno could now answer the age old question with “No, in the car!”
(276 characters)
By John at Broadsides:
“Ohh, goldilocks, what lovely seat covers, they remind me of my mother. She disappeared about a year ago. She told me to run and there were some loud bangs, haven’t seen her since, those covers look very familiar. “
Why are you crying now?
By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip: Teddy Bear’s Picnic
After the last incident, the park rangers put up warning signs:
Keep your distance. Please don’t feed their addiction to selfies.
(130)
Excellent tales this week everyone. Thank you for joining the challenge! I am a bit scarce here on WordPress right now. I’m in the middle of insane hours at work, tending to my menagerie, and trying to find a new home (required by my partner’s health who can no longer manage the stairs and requiring some major downsizing, and getting our current house ready for market). It’s a little stressful and words are elusive right now. But have no fear, I will keep this challenge going. I hope to sit down with the Muse soon for a tete-a-tete. Until then, peace and kindness to you. And I will see YOU at the roundup next week! 🙂
About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.
A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.
I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing a new prompt. And if for some reason I missed your entry in the Roundup, as I have occasionally done, please let me know. I want to be sure to include your tale.
Because you said you were driving when the bear showed up. Oh god! They’re in my purse…out there! Now what?!
I guess we wait.
Do you think he knows we’re here?
Don’t look behind you! He knows!
~kat
275 Characters
Now it’s your turn! Tell your own twittering tale in 280 characters or less, using the photo above by David Cardinez@pixabay.com as inspiration, and be included in next week’s roundup! And speaking of roundups, be sure to check out last week’s fantastic tales! Thank you to everyone who participated! Have a great week! 😊
Twittering Tales #155 – The Roundup
Photo by MarkusmitK@pixabay.com
Starting us off…
A Beginning “Who’d ever wanna come here?” he thought. But this would be the last day he watched the trains come and go. Tomorrow he’d be on the morning express, seat 34a, a window view. He ran his fingers over the ticket in his hand and smiled. Life begins tomorrow. No looking back.
~kat
271 Characters
By Reena at ReInventions: Audience
“This shot is an absolute masterpiece. Shall we use it as the opening or closing shot in the movie? Let the actor slowly turn around to face the audience or turn away.”
“I guess both…”
“Why?”
“The story in between will happen below. The audience will identify more with that.”
(273 characters)
By Graham at Graham is Just My Name: The Age of Steam
As a kid he’d stand on the bridge as the express trains approached.
Then run to the other side as wagons thundered by.
Acrid smoke would billow around his trembling body and invade his nostrils.
Pure excitement.
Now only boring trains chug past here.
More rails than locomotives.
(277 chars)
By Mike at The Bookish Recovering Know-It-All: It Goes On
Looking out over tomorrow, Seeing himself with her just last week, Daniel didn’t know if he could do it anymore without seeing her again. The memories would always be stronger than reality alone. She was gone but he knew every day would be another choice for him to stay. “Live”.
(270 characters)
By Di at Pensitivity101:
How ironic, he mused as he sat atop the girders looking down on the tracks.
The proud boast had been that it was built to last….. and it had.
Nothing would come or go now, it was the only thing left intact after the Millennium War.
232 characters
By Fandango at This, That, and the Other: Hither and Yon
Hither and yon, he thought to himself as he looked down at the myriad tracks from his perch on the bridge.
Where is hither and where is yon, he wondered.
What might he find if he goes? Will hither and yon be different than here and now? Or will it be the same thing somewhere else?
(280 characters)
By Tien at From the Window Seat: Suicide Wish
Too early, the train stops.
Too late, he misses the train.
The timing must be right.
After ages of planning, he knows exactly when the train passes under the bridge.
“Train’s delayed, problem with tracks up ahead,” a policeman calls out. “A sign, I’d say. You’re not destined to die.”
(280 characters)
By Suzette at Suzette B’s Blog: Iron retreat
The tracks meet below my metal perch. The city will come alive soon. But for a brief moment, this is my place of quiet retreat. A reminder of the movement of life. For whether sitting, walking, driving or being transported, we are all carried in the womb of life.
Word count: 274
By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go: Right Said Fred
Fred’s parents have taken him shopping. His mother has gotten engrossed in the ladies’ unmentionables department. Boring! Soon he’ll pig out at the food court, but for now he fantasizes about things yet to come, knowing that all goes well in his world.
(254 Characters)
By Joe at Does Writing Excuse Watching?:
so long. trainyard. so long my friends, you diesel engines. loud and strong. as of tomorrow i’ll work only on electric locomotives. not diesel electrics, either. pure electric, clean and quiet. i love you but this railyard should become a boneyard.
By Bear at Jellico’s Writing Nook: The Era
It was the era of annihilation.
Gone are the rails,
the buildings,
the bridges.
It was the era of annihilation.
Gone are the trees,
the plants,
the animals,
It was the era of annihilation.
Gone are the people,
the politicians,
the activists,
the human race.
It was the era of annihilation. CC: 279 (281 with title) – Note from Kat…Title’s don’t count;)
By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!: Trusting a Bum Out of Desperation
“Grab costumes for you and Joey. I will take my clothes out and find a bum to wear them and walk down as far as the train tracks. That should draw anyone following away if there is someone and I will signal you guys to come and we will go quickly as far as we can,” Ron said.
275 characters
By Lisa at Tao Talk: Before After/After Before
In 1999, when he was an infant, Zil and his family migrated backwards in time, to 1963. Now 20, he was ready to visit the time he was really from. As he surveyed what, only moments before, had been open fields and woodlands, in 2019 not a blade of grass was visible. Zil wept.
[279 characters]
By Pratibha at Prat’s Corner: The Shot
“You are being crazy.”
“Maybe. And you are starting to irritate me”
“How dare you, I have been posing here and there and everywhere ..”
“Because you like your pictures”
“My face deserves your camera. Why should I scale this bridge for a back shot?”
“Because that’s the prompt, Love”
By Hayley at The Story Files: The View
He liked coming up to the roof of the abandoned hotel. It was the tallest building in the little city and he could see for miles around. He liked the space being up there give him. He keep breath, think and wait for his people to come back.
By Melanie at Sparks from a Combustible Mind:
Jason sat on the rail of the bridge overlooking the train tracks. He’d gotten the latest rejection letter from the publisher and it was, for him, the final straw. Nobody understood nor cared. He thought perhaps this time he’d really jump. That would show them all!
(character count: 270)
By Peter at Peter’s Pondering: Lucky He’d been a loser all his life.
At school they gave him the nickname “lucky” because anything that could go wrong, always did.
He decided he’d had enough. He would end it all by jumping under a train.
His phoned pinged with the latest news headline.
“Rail strike halts all trains!”
(278 characters)
By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
Before starting training, he sat there surveying the tracks. Tomorrow! He would train hard and train well. It was going to be the best race he would ever run. If he won this marathon, he had a chance to get into the university of his choice and realize his dreams. Character count: 265
By Deb at Twenty Four:
His stillness was concerning. To sit above the train lines and stare wasn’t the normal behaviour of anyone, least of all a young kid.
She thought to call out, she thought to find someone, anyone.
Instead she did nothing.
Five minutes later he jumped.
She never told anyone.
(270 characters)
By Kristian at Tales from the Mind of Kristian: The Serenity That Comes Before He sat on the railway bridge and felt a moment of serenity. And smiled as he considered that Life was so full of vapid worthlessness; an entityof nothingness; a rotting fungus living parasitically on time.
He took a deep breath, nothing drastic, then fell under the 8:29 train.
[277 Characters]
By Chaotically Yours at Dreaming Through the Haze: The First Step
Tonight, he’s hidden. In his pocket, the amulet hums against his fingers. On the horizon, the southbound 7:15 hums back, chugging closer.
Slipping from the rail, he lights on the carapace of the train.
His back to warm metal, he watches the sky, tracks his movement by the stars. Characters: 278
By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses: Bam There again!They dared me to get atop the railing and now they are nowhere to be seen.
These friends of mine call me a fibber. Let me take a selfie to prove it to them.
Bam!
Time to consult Dr. Google for dream analysis, been dreaming about this for a while now.
259 characters.
By John at Broadsides:
All you need to be a trainspotter is an anorak and a good spot to watch the trains go by. And dreams. The 9.10 to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. The 10 am to Potters Bar. The Gatwick Express and the Brighton Belle, Virgins and Stage coaches, the Great Western Rail, Electric and Diesel and occasionally steam, all from here, on my bridge of dreams
the muse
is silent
there are no words
but for the wind’s taunting
whispers
~kat
I’m afraid I missed a few days of my challenge of a poem a day. Life, I’m afraid, got in the way. But I am trying to be gentle with myself, telling myself it is okay to let the words in my head settle a bit. To rest. To sleep a bit, perhaps even dream a dream or two. I’m not sure if I will challenge myself to a micro-poem a day in October, or just let the Muse lead me where she will. A time to rest…must be the season. 🍂🍁🍂
Is it Sunday already?! This week has been a whirlwind! Long hours at work…I know, I know, I’m sure you’re getting tired of hearing about that. Why don’t I retire already! Believe me I’m counting the days! 1,099 days to be exact. But as a middle-middle class citizen in this country, I will need to work past my official retirement age. It’s the reality of the baby boomer generation, and it draws the ire of younger generations who wish we would just move on, and free up the jobs they covet. We’re not leaving, because we can’t afford to. Sorry kids.
But I have to admit, I’m getting tired of the bullshit. Of working long hours to line the pockets of greedy shareholders. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to have a job. But things need change in this country where the rich get richer and the rest of us toil.
It’s why I am a progressive. It’s why I care about those who are struggling. It’s why I believe we are all deserve a chance at life, liberty and happiness…those things that our constitution promises us. It’s why I choose to be kind. Why my heart breaks again and again as I watch people vote to support a government that separates children from parents, that believes women are best controlled and kept in their place, that destroys our natural resources, that refuses to acknowledge science, that cozies up to dictators while dismissing our long standing alliances with other democracies, our allies, our friends. It’s got to change, and I believe it will. We are on the cusp, I think. And it’s Autumn. My favorite season. Letting go…I’m still working on that. It’s harder than the trees make it look.
Peace to you. Tomorrow is a new week. Yay…
Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 29 September 2019
be still my heart
one step closer to
letting go
sparing none
the winds of autumn
edge of tangled twilight
no looking back
found in a moment
bits of soul
life unaware
no peace
~kat
A ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.
So it is easier for you to find all the parts/chapters of my ongoing fiction series, I created a new page that lists all the links. You can check it out HERE!
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kat Myrman and Like Mercury Colliding with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.
