solstice vespers toll
heralding the longest night
Luna shades her face
kat ~ 22 December 2016
For Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge, prompt words Bells & Ring.
Monthly Archives: December 2016
Star Light, Star Bright…
Illustration by Virginia Frances Sterret
It was a cold, dark night when Eveline saw her, like a glowing specter, behind a grove of persimmon trees. She had heard legends about the white doe who roamed the woodlands near her grandparent’s estate. If one were fortunate enough to look into the eyes of this elusive creature, they would be allowed three wishes. But there was a caveat. Only wishes of pure intention would be granted.
Eveline stood perfectly still as she watched the white doe meander through the trees, pausing to savor sweet persimmons along the way. Her old cat brushed against her, purring loudly.
“Shhhhhh, Fiona!” Eveline whispered, but it was too late. To her dismay, she had captured the doe’s attention. It ambled to where she stood bowing its head.
To Eveline’s surprise the doe spoke audibly, “Fortune comes to thee this night. Reveal to me thy wishes three. And if thy heart is pure as light, I’ll grant thy wishes unto thee.”
“But what shall I wish for?” Eveline queried. “A wish by it’s very nature seems a selfish thing to me.”
Eveline looked deeply into the eyes of the enchanted doe. In that moment of silence she realized she knew exactly what to wish for.
“Very well,” she said, “here are my wishes. First, I wish a wish for my family: that they would never have to toil to survive another day. Second, I wish for peace in the world. And third…” she looked at the doe and smiled, “my third wish is for you dear one, that you would have the desire of your heart.”
“As you wish,” the white doe responded, “you and your family shall never want, and nevermore shall any of you toil. You shall have plenty for as long as you live. As for your second wish, I hereby grant that the world will know 100 years of peace.” (From that very day there was, in fact, peace in the world that lasted 100 years.)
“And my third wish?” Eveline smiled.
The white doe spoke softly, “I have listened to and granted wishes for centuries. In all my travels, I have never beheld a heart such as yours; one whose wishes are completely selfless and pure. You, Eveline are my wish. You have set me free to grant wishes with every fiber of my being.” The doe nuzzled Eveline gently before transforming into a thousand stars that drifted skyward settling in the firmament above.
There is an old nursery rhyme that goes something like this…
“Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.”
Now you know how that rhyme came to be. And it is true, if you believe.
~kat – 21 December 2016
For Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge based on the illustration by Virginia Frances Sterret above.
Twittering Tales #9 – 20 December 2016
About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt, and your mission, if you choose to play along, is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less.
If you accept the challenge, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. 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 us a new prompt.
Have Fun!
Here are the results for Twittering Tales #8 based on this photograph from last week:
From Michael at MorpethroadMorpethroad:
Christmas eve it’s just us. The cold is all around us save for the fire in the hearth. We snuggle close, its where we want to be. Together.
(140 Characters)From Ladyleemanila:
flames licking the logs
warming glow, crackle, sparkle
keeping each other warm
ecstasy and passion felt
ah! the love for each other
(127 Characters)From Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
She loved a good fire. So warmed her heart and her pyromaniac soul.
(67 Characters)From Willowdot:
Glowing logs capture the imagination.
Dreams arrive in concentration
Memories fill us with happy contemplation.
Yule tide celebration.
(137 Characters)From Pat at Black Cat Alley:
Swarthy skin, crocodile grin, she sold herself to the devil; fire-whiskey lipped, slip of the tongue – she can’t recall the terms of use.
(137 Characters)From Elsie at Ramblings of a Writer:
Watching that flame burning the wood reminded me it’s summer in New Zealand, please be careful when lighting fires.
Beware of forest fires.
(138 Characters)From Kathryn at AnotherFoodieBlogger:
The large beam that held up the farmhouse fell crashing to the ground into the engulfing fire. At that point Jenny knew it was a total loss.
(140 Characters)From Sonali at Howling with the Wolf:
The flames lapped at her feet, ground unsteady, yet she still wielded her weapon, held her stance.
The real fire was in her eyes.
(128 Characters)From Poetry Joy:
Logs crackled in the hearth. Flames licked higher and he wondered what it would take to light even a spark in his dark, world-weary heart.
(138 characters)and from me:
Nothing warmed her heart more than a crackling fire, hot cocoa and a few banned books to burn; freedom of speech and expression be damned.
(139 Characters )
What an awesome collection of Twittering Tales we had this week. So many different takes on this prompt. Thank you everyone for playing along!
See this week’s prompt photo below:
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Twittering Tales #9 – 20 December 2016
Photo from Pixabay.com
“It seemed like a good idea. They would wait for the perfect moment to snap a selfie. But the waves were larger than they thought!”
kat ~ 20 December 2016
(129 Characters)
Winter Song – Magnetic Poetry Monday – 19 December 2016
bird on a bough
deep in sweet song
happily she seasons
the cold winds of winter
and earth’s quiet browning
blanketed in frosting
she must be warmed
by memories of spring
kat – 19 December 2016
(Magnetic Poetry – Nature Kit)
Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 December 2016
Happy Sunday! We had a beautiful full moon this week. I love the Roman word for moon, Luna. Considered the feminine counterpart to the masculine Sol, for the sun, Luna has been a favorite subject of artists and writers, her beautiful full face, an illuminated fixture in night sky.
Though earth revolves around the sun, the moon revolves around the earth. She always shows us her face, each facet glowing with the same intensity. Some would say that she is only a dark orb of rock, a pale reflection of the sun’s light but I believe she makes the light accessible to us. We cannot gaze for long at Sol’s blustering, spitting face. Luna filters that intensity and softens the destructive nature of the Sol’s all-consuming, blinding fierceness. She bends the light so we can gaze upon it. She often calls us to reflect, to hope, to dream. And she is by no means weak or powerless. She commands the night sky, dipping her finger into the oceans causing them to swell in the rising of the tides. Even when the earth blocks her face from the light, she is there, unchanged, surrounded by a host of stars.
Luna, with her feminine traits, causes me to reflect on a few important truths about being female, despite what we have been encouraged to believe. It is interesting that I started this week with a reminder to love oneself and ended it with a comforting recipe that I share every year with my daughters. In the same way, I feel compelled to share this “recipe”; a list of affirmations on what it is to be female in this man dominated world. And to the beautiful men reading this…it is not my intention to dismiss your magnificent traits. It is the times we are in. With so many ugly words and actions directed toward women, I feel we need to be reminded who we are.
You are a woman…
You are a compliment and partner, not a pale or lessor reflection of man.
You have a purpose and a path, you are not a possession that needs keeping.
You are mysterious and intuitive.
You are strong.
You are powerful.
You are beautiful.
You are vibrant, not a cold, inanimate object.
You are a hearth keeper with the ability to contain and soften the intensity of raging fires, warming those around you.
You are fierce.
You are a co-creator of life.
You are a nurturer.
No attempts to control you will ever change these truths.
You are a woman.
…and here is today’s Shi Sai..
Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 December 2016
Remember to love yourself my friends
we are a long fall from Eden
fair Luna owns the night sky
nothing warmed her heart more than a crackling fire
it is quite a rush
always thought ye were a legend though,
peaches, cream and sweet kisses
it’s just horsefeathers
murmurs of spring…
So just as I would tell my daughters from memory each winter, I’m sharing my recipe with you.~kat
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like mercury colliding... 