poor
sapling
bucket bound,
never to be
a tree, fated by the whim of a breeze
~kat
There is an old bucket on my back porch with a bit of dirt in the bottom. A few years ago it was home to a thriving tomato plant. This year however, the seed from a nearby tree had the misfortune to land in it. I noticed it this morning, happily sprouting, thriving even, inasmuch as a root bound tree can. But it will never be a tree unless someone intervenes and transplants it into the ground where its roots can run deep. It made me think about children born into poverty. Their birth is a random twist of the fates. We are not all equally advantaged from the start. For each child to realize their full potential a certain amount of intervention may be called for. When we deny this fact, by telling them to try harder, to work harder, or to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, we’re denying the reality of the “bucket”.
Poetry form for the month of May: Tetractys/5 lines/syllable count 1-2-3-4-10.
save
them all
every
trembling heartbeat…
deny their humanity at the gates
~kat
The religious right conservatives republicans are at it again; passing their so-called heartbeat laws in line with their radical pro-life agendas…meanwhile children are still separated and being held in cages (at least three have died) at our southern border, Detroit still does not have safe drinking water, our children have been forced to defend themselves to confront deadly shooters in their classrooms to…some becoming tragic heroes, healthcare is once again on the chopping block, and our teachers struggle to make ends meet while educating our children. Pro-life you say? Don’t tell me how pro-life you are…show me by cherishing life once it has breath!
Poetry form for the month of May: Tetractys/5 lines/syllable count 1-2-3-4-10.
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.
Starting us off… A Little Rain… “They’re calling it the storm of the century. I’m telling you, we need to get to the shelter…now!”
“You go on. Ain’t nothin’ but a thunder storm. People go crazy over a little rain!”
“Come over here. Look. You call that a thunder storm?”
“Holy crap! Where’s that shelter again?!” ~kat
278 Characters
By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip: Armageddon?
The dark cloud perches atop the CN tower like a carrion bird. Ready to pick at the steel bones of the city below.
The child smiles at his creation.
“Albus Severus! Put down daddy’s wand and back away slowly.”
Armagrudge[match]on! Who knew the Potters were 76ers fans?*
(266)
By Lisa at Tao Talk: Symbiosis D7, one of the living cloud-like chocolate donut “charging stations” for the sky cities orbiting above Io’s surface, wasn’t busy today. Nucleo glowed as D7 pumped neutrinos into it. When the powerhouse gauge said full, 100 humans were fed to the tractor beam as payment.
By Kate at Everywhere and Nowhere: Storms Ahead The black clouds formed suddenly, she was trying to get her emotions under control knowing her magic was a little unpredictable when she was upset or angry. She would love the cheating rat to be struck down by lightning but didn’t want the whole city destroyed in the process.
Characters: 276
By Martin at Martin Cororan: (Be sure to hop over to Martin’s page to see what he did with the photo…it was brilliant!) You say ‘Tomato,’ I say ‘Extinction Event’ Nagrath surfaced for the first time in a billion years. The last occasion he’d felt this peckish there’d been an abundance of brontosauruses, but now it was all concrete and ants.
‘This’ll never fill me up,’ he sighed, but having polished off the marine life he’d have to make the best of it.
By Fandango at This, That, and the Other: The Invasion “I have never seen anything like it,” Ann said. “It’s covering the whole city. It looks like Armageddon.”
“It’s a whopper of a storm, but it will pass,” Jim said, trying to reassure his wife.
Then they heard the booming voice coming from inside the cloud. “People of Earth….”
(275 characters)
By Di at Pensitivity101:
The sky darkened and what had thought to be clouds joined forces to amass into a huge invader ready to devour the city.
119 characters.
By The Dark Netizen: The Storm
Red alert has been sounded.
All the citizens have retreated into shelters. It is a pointless endeavour. I stand at the top of the tower, looking straight at the approaching storm. Storm of the century they call it. What fools! This is just the first one.
The first of my storms…..
Character Count: 280
By Neel at Neel Writes:
A pall of gloom hung heavy like an albatross above the sky leaving ordinary denizens fearful and wondering what celestial wrath had befallen uon their land.
Finally, the village occult pronounced, ” It’s the start of the end of human life. The Aliens are taking over.”
(279 characters)
By Larry at East Elmhurst A.Go.Go: Sometimes Reasoning Doesn’t Matter Mildred,” Herb told his wife, “Our preacher friend says the Rapture is coming. My New Age sister says aliens are attacking. What should we do?”
“Here’s what let’s do, Super Genius,” she said. “It’s just a hunch but I think we should leave without bothering with a poll.” 274 characters
By Tina at Tina Stewart Brakebill: The End: Metaphor or Simile? Metaphor? Simile? Musing as she stared. The future is a swirling suck hole. The future is like a swirling suck hole. Same diff. Either way we’re doomed.
Metaphorically tipping her hat to end-times, she cranked Bikini Kill.
Drowning out the lie. “Fear not we come in peace.”
279 characters
By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!:
It was supposed to be the worst storm ever, but John could see deep within the storm cloud a huge space ship. He tried to show everyone, but no one would listen to him. He was positive the aliens were there to take over and had taken the chance to hide in the huge storm cloud.
277 character
By Kristian at Tales from the Mind of Kristian: Clearly a Job For… As he glided across his rooftop pool supported by a noodle, Suddenly the sky turned black across Gotham City.
He admired several of his enemy’s traits. Lex was tenacious, forthrightand had the Imagination to think of something to cause havoc. Now He’d met his match in Superman.
[279 Characters]
By John at The Magic Shop: Ashes Security at the “Miniland” attraction were warned about today’s threat. They were to be on lookout for Robert Sym to carry out his previously denied request. Unfortunately, a rookie guard slacked off and Mr. Sym ran in dumping the ashes of his late Dad all over the park’s scale model of Seattle.
(300 characters)
By Anurag at Jagahdilmein: Let the Storm Come!
Dark clouds gathered ominously over the city, threatening to unleash their full fury at a moment’s notice.
But this time around, there were no panicked preparations to weather the storm.
There was no need.
There was no one left to panic, the nuclear war had taken care of that.
277 characters.
By Milly at Truly Milly: It Will Flood
We can see black clouds towering over the city. The weatherman said he hasn’t seen anything like it. It might rain for days. Preachers on the streets proclaim, “The rain will flood the earth! Ask God for forgiveness!”
I knelt down inside my home, begging for forgiveness.
(273 Characters)
By Hayley at The Story Files: Under Smoky Skies
From the first day of the aliens arrival the skies across the world had been darkened by clouds of smoke. Wars raged but in the end the invades won and mankind fall to death and slavery. The sky started dark forever more.
By Willow at WillowDot21: Inhuman Nature. The cloud had hung over the city for a month. The riots and looting had started week one. By week three all civil law had broken down. Today the city was locked down, total quarantine. It was plain to anyone with half a brain that it was people causing the problem not the cloud.
(280 Characters)
By Namitha at The Dame Writes: Two Minds “The sky looks so beautiful. I have never seen these colours before!” Raima whispered as she was trying to close the window. “Oh no! It’s going to be a gloomy day today. All my plans are distorted. I hate this weather” Raima thought as she looked at her reflection in the window.
279 characters
By Sadje at Keep It Alive: The Darkness Comes It took us all by surprise, the day suddenly turned dark and even with lights on, one couldn’t see much. People peeked through the windows or ventured outside and were amazed at the sight they saw. The darkness slowly engulfed the whole of city, turning the amazement to terror. Character count: 275
By Peter at Peter’s Pondering: Carbon capture was great. The city could create pollution without fear of the consequences. We kept on pumping the carbon emissions into the caves and fissures deep below our feet, and everything was fine.
Until, one day, the frackers breached the caves.
Not so great now is it!
(279 characters)
By Ron at Read4Fun: Just Checking in on My Creation Earlier, you crucified me. I promised to return; I’m back. Did you think I would come back as a bearded white tour guide to the heavens? I am all genders, all races, all of you, all. I created a perfect playground; you children try to destroy it. I am not amused. Play better.
276 characters.
By Rob at Art by Rob Goldstein: A Midnight Storm These dark reflections.
Storm clouds gather on a
midnight tear through
San Francisco.
He wants the storm to last
forever; he wants to be
hidden and faceless: dead
without dying.
By Tien at From the Window Seat: Allied Destruction
When the Dark Elves came for Men from Deep Within, they were confounded; Gaia had unleashed a cataclysm which Men’s toys failed to anticipate. They stood in awe as she wrecked her artistic destruction.
Men were scrambling for fictitious safety, like ants in rampaging rapids.
(274 characters)
Great Roundup Everyone! Thanks for joining the challenge last week. Pingbacks are still acting up, so if you decide to give this week’s photo prompt a tweet, be sure to put your link in the comments. Without further ado, this week’s photo come to us from NRD at Unsplash.com. There could be a number of stories here. You could write a ghostly tale like I did…true story…back in the day when my kiddos were little we lived in Navy housing and were visited on several occasions by a poltergeist. It did things like hide our keys, turn the lights on downstairs after we had all gone to bed upstairs, opened the frig in the middle of the night, and the creepiest thing was when it took a spin on one of my kids tricycles in the living room. That thing went round and round in circles all by itself! Then there were the shadows looming over us while we slept…but I digress. Your tale doesn’t need to be about a haunting. It could be about an insomniac, or a sleepwalker, or naughty kids who raided the frig for a midnight snack. Or a late night talk with a pal with snacks of course! Whatever you decide, do have fun with it! I’ll see you at the roundup!
Twittering Tales #136 – 14 May 2019
Photo by NRD at UnsplashHouse GuestsThey got a great deal! The house was close to schools and work, fenced in yard. It was perfect.When they asked the real estate agent about the low price, she told them some wild ghost story. They didn’t believe in ghosts.
But that changed. It’s been empty since that first night.
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.
