Category Archives: Essays

August 29, 2017

Twittering Tales #47 – 29 August 2017

By Kat Myrman

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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 based on that prompt in 140 characters or less. 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 a new prompt. Have Fun!

Twittering Tales #46 – The Roundup

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Photo from Pexels.com

I started this round off inspired by the eclipse. But you all took the challenge to infinity and beyond! Some of your tales were other worldly, focused on faraway frontiers and others were deep, introspective…to that other final frontier, if you know what I mean! I am so amazed at the variety of impressions that flow from a single photo. Bravo, everyone! And thank you for playing this week.

My twittering tale:
“Where’s the lens filter?”
“I thought YOU packed it!”
“Great! This trip is ruined!”
“Mom, Dad, look!”
“Wow. Look at that.”
“Let’s take a selfie.”
(140 Characters)

From Reena at Reinventions:

“This really fascinates me.”
“What? People staying away from work?”
“No. It is the only time good people wait for the dark shadows to appear.”
(140 characters)

From Kalpana at Gemini in the Sky:

“All our misfortunes will be overshadowed courtesy this auspicious eclipse, Ana.”
“Face them, they disappear, John. Enjoy the eclipse”
137 characters

From Martin at Martin Corcoran:

When Women Rule the Earth:
I call this one: ‘Men argue over who has the best camera whilst woman takes epic photo.’ And this one’s: ‘Men miss Bigfoot flying UFO…and…’
140 Characters

From Di at Pensitivity101:

“CUT!
Pull the sun back up, I forgot to take the lens cap off.”
62 characters

and…Di had a busy previous week so here’s her entry for TT #45:

“This undercover stuff sucks”, thought Sid.
At least he didn’t get Bert’s assignment as Grandma.
95 characters

From Deepika at Deepika’s Ramblings:

A challenge to the participants, “Shadow and light”. Who’s in?
Open aperture, focus, and shoot ! The best picture shall be published in the next months digital express magazine.
139 characters

From Radhika at Radhika’s Reflections:

Thanks Dad for the camera. Your thoughtful birthday gift won me the first prize at a photography contest, beamed  Adi! This was my entry!
Character Count: 139

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:

They told us that we could take photographs from this ridge. It was beautiful until the intense heat and wind from the blast overtook us.
(137 characters)

From Bobby at Writing, Events, Competitions and Even Some Self-Penned Bits:

Everyone was waiting for this once in a generation experience, the rebirth of the Phoenix.
89 characters

From Francine at Woman Walks Dog:

Forget the eclipse, I can see molten lava coming out of a deep abyss in the hillside. Is this normal? Is it the Day of Judgement? Quick let’s cook the burghers!

From Leena at Soul Connection:

Every1 Exctd Here,Lets Join Dem
Every Evng Sun Cvrs Nature In Btfl Black Shadow,2day His Turn
Haha Yea,Btfl Phenomna,It Brngs Negtvty Is Myth.

From Willow at WillowDot21:

The sun came up, so did the ants.
They crawled up legs and bit us in our pants.
Who decided we should use this spot
Just to get the sunrise shot.
(142 Characters)

From Edwin at Edwin’s Journal:

“Why are we here, dad?”
“Son, I’m here to shoot the precise moment, when the sun kisses the horizon. It’s always been my lifelong dream.”

From Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:

Many light years away, here I strike a pose as though catching him or am I deluded by my power?
A loud guffaw, I’m but a minuscule.
128 characters

From Peter at Peter’s Ponderings:

They gathered round the creature in awe, having come from afar to worship. Its eight limbs were silhouetted in the light of the ship’s glow.
(140 characters)

Twittering Tales #47 – 29 August 2017

This week’s photo prompt is MARBLES! I am thinking there are a few stories here. Avid collectors, gamers, CRAZY people…haha. As always, the most important thing is to enjoy the process. You have a week to come up with 140 characters! Knuckle down my fellow mibsters…no fudging allowed. (I’m afraid I’m giving my tale away, but oh well. This is just too fun!)

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Photo by David Estebanez at Pixabay.com

I heard he lost his marbles!

Yeah. That mibster was fudging. He knuckled down, knocked his aggies out and even took his taw for keepsies. 

(137 Characters)

~kat

30 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Flash Fiction, Twitter Tales

August 27, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 27 August 2017

By Kat Myrman

Some believe innocence is only a casualty of childhood lost, but I know this is not true. Even grown ups cling to wisps of innocence, suffering its loss when it slips away. The only difference is we call it hope.

The hope that deep down all people are decent and good and will do the right thing if given the chance.

The hope that bad things and people eventually pay for the harm they perpetuate.

The hope that people see us for who we are inside, not judging us for our faith, the color of our skin, where we were born, or who we love.

The hope that everything happens for a reason and in the end all things work together for good.

Children aren’t the only ones at risk of losing innocence. And there are many ways to suffer it’s loss. A parent will cushion the harsh blow when their child discovers that there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy, by telling them the truth; that those fantastical characters are in fact a mommy and daddy who love them very much and just wanted to make their life special. But who is there to reassure us as adults when the world we hoped in, and believed existed, begins to crumble away?

Some turn to faith, while some look to others to make things right. But even the strongest faith or the greatest savior in the flesh can leave us feeling empty, inconsolable because of the gnawing questions everyone asks in times of lost innocence, lost hope….”How could…Why would…What now…Who can I trust?”

The honest answer, the one we may not want to hear, is that some things can’t be fixed, made right, or restored. Just as a child can’t unknow the truth that Santa is not real, we cannot unknow the reality of the world, with its imperfections and cruelty, once it reveals itself in the light.

But one thing I do know is that the end of the world as we once knew it is not the end of the world. We go on. We always go on, a little wiser perhaps, but hopefully not jaded. Innocence is a bit overrated in my opinion. Hope can be too, when reality is not taken into account. I’ll take truth and light over the alternative any day… even if it hurts.

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 27 August 2017

harmony murmuring

sifts first through sludge and shale

a sight deemed tasteless

where’s the lens filter

to reignite hope’s embers

shell shards spawn the shore

I just don’t think I’m into roughing it

Who likes cookies?

incogitant tweet perhaps,

spoken from privilege

only for a season

you can ask any child

if we could remember

storms, singing in the rain

~kat

A shi sai or 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 shi sai features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Life Lessons, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

August 26, 2017

Incogitant

By Kat Myrman

Today’s Word of the Day at dictionary.com is incogitant. Not to be confused with incognizant or incognito, which google presented as possibilities. Incognitant is definitely a word, originating in the 17th century, though it does seem to be less popular than its cousins.

All three words have a common root, the Latin cōgitāre “to think” and the Latin negative prefix in-. it is when we add the suffix -ant “inclined to, tending to” that tweaks the meaning. Incogitant is defined as thoughtless; inconsiderate; not having the faculty of thought. While incognizant implies a sense of being unaware of something or unknowing, it is more in a passive or clueless sort of way, and incognito has to do with disguised identity, incogitant, with its tiny change in suffix -tant involves an element of willfulness. In fact, wiktionary simply defines incogitant as ignorant.

These days the streets are swarming with incogitant people. People who are not the least bit interested in knowing the truth, and worst of all, those who act on that ignorance to an extreme. Sound familiar? Maybe it’s just me. 🤔

Anyhoo…before I close this wordplay, I found one other reference while researching today’s word. A shout out to French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes’ (1596–1650) who coined the famous line, “cōgitō ergō sum” (“I think therefore I am”). Does that mean if I don’t think, I am not? Best to leave that one alone…along with the incogitant people of the world, unless of course, you engage them while incognito…just to be safe. My guess is they are incognizant that they are incogitant, precisely because they don’t care that they are either!

Here are a few Haiku then. Reminds me of another quote…”Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.” 😊 okay…I’m done now. Have a great weekend!

“Let them eat brioche!”
an incogitant retort
spoken from privilege

Covfefe…say what?
Incogitant tweet perhaps,
or sly like a fox?

~kat

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Essays, Haibun, Haiku, Humor, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

August 22, 2017

Eclipsed

By Kat Myrman
solar-eclipse Kesie91 Pixabay
Solar-Eclipse by Kesie91 at Pixabay.com

The nerve of that pebble of a satellite! She actually thought she could step in between me and my worshipers. Did she really think she could blot out my brilliance?! That little twerp with her crater-pocked face and cold lifeless core; who does she think she is? She only shines at night because of me! Everyone knows I am the greatest star that has ever blazed from the center of a universe. In fact, (and I know facts, believe me) I am the greatest star in the history of all the universes combined! No one knows how to work the planets like I do. Every time I turn, they orbit around me. They can’t help themselves. That’s how great I am.

So now I hear old pock-face is planning a coup. It won’t last, of course. I could send out a solar flare, the likes of which the universe has never seen, with such fire and fury that electronics would die and electrical grids would blow out, and everyone would still worship me. Only I get to decide when things go dark on the faces of my planets.  So, this little eclipse thing won’t amount to much. That two-faced lunatic might make headlines for a day with this stupid stunt of hers, but she’s a fake. She’ll drive you crazy if you let her.

So, don’t worry. I’ll be back in a very big way, brighter than ever, heating things up in ways you never thought possible. It’s gonna be great!

look toward the light,
to candles in the darkness,
stars in the night sky,
to reignite hope’s embers
before they fade into dust

it’s cool in the shade
lulling us to linger there
embraced by shadows

~kat

For Colleen Chesebro’s Weekly Poetry Challenge. This week I am doing a Haibun-Tanka-Haiku combination inspired by the prompt words, shadow and light. Have a wonderful light-filled week. 🙂

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18 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Haibun, Haiku, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues, Spirituality, Tanka

August 20, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 20 August 2017

By Kat Myrman

I remember every word like it was yesterday…nasty woman, grab em by the pussy, fake news, bad hombres…they’re rapists, if “she” wasn’t my daughter, I’d probably be dating her, why can’t we use nuclear weapons, Russia, if you’re listening…, They don’t look like Indians to Indians”, I am the least racist person there is, laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that, women. You have to treat ’em like shit, he’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay? I love the poorly educated, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees, I have a great relationship with the blacks, You had some very bad people in that group. You also had some very fine people on both sides, we’re going to build a wall, it will go up so fast your head will spin…please don’t be too nice…so this week, it is Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?

I remember every word…these and others. There are so many others…You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?

Darkness is coming this week as an eclipse cuts a horizontal line across the entire country from coast to coast. The nation will be darkest along the path of totality. Isn’t that ironic?

Be safe. Be encouraged. The darkness only lasts for a few moments.

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 20 August 2017

we are so easily charmed

muddling puddles

here the sky is green

Wow!” they gasped,

dry with a tinge bittersweet

frail crimson petals clinging

That is how nothing leaves a room.

He didn’t always win.

time to go home

Some people believe tradition is an archaic chain to the past

Prayers for Barcelona

there is no solace

words in unison

poor confabulating fool

heart’s not in it

in the stillness

too bright to behold

it is here and there and nowhere

~kat

A shi sai or 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 shi sai features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

12 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Haibun, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Week in Review