Category Archives: Random Thoughts and Musings

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 2 July 2017


“Happy Sunday!”

“Happy, you say?!”

“Well, in a transcendental, metaphysical, quasi-spiritual, dreamy, optimistic sort of way, yes, happy. And it is a fact that it is Sunday…unless you reside in the Far East…then it is almost Monday…but I divagate.”

“You what?”

“Divagate….as in digress? Remember? The new word we learned this week.”

“You’re such a diva!”

“Am not! You are! But back to your original question, ‘happy, you say?!’ … yes, I take it you’re not.”

“Well, how can anyone be happy when everything in the world is spiraling out of control?”

“Take a Dramamine?”

“Come on! Global warming, a heath care bill that is going to kill people, an insane, mean old man running the country, Russia (need I say more?), collapsing infrastructure, the assault on our public schools, voting rights, gerrymandering, voter suppression, nationalism, travel bans, ageism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, religious profiling, insane tweets, the wall…”

“Feel better yet?”

“No, I’m just getting started. And just you wait. Tomorrow something else will happen to prove  we’re all up shit’s creek without a paddle. So forgive me miss giddy twinkle shoes if I can’t be happy right now! I’m mortified! It’s terrifying!”

“Oh, but you can. Be happy that is. It’s all a choice. It only takes a second.”

“Harrumph! Delusional you mean!”

“No. Happy. Right here, right now, this moment. Let me show you. First, close your eyes…now think about something that makes you happy.”

“You mean used to…”

“Give it a chance. And you opened your eyes…start over. Close your eyes…think happy something…anything. Got it?”

“Yeah. Okay now what?”

“Now take a deep breath in. Imagine yourself completely enveloped by your happy thing…don’t breathe out just yet…imagine…okay now…slowly…let it go. Feel better?”

“I do actually. I get it. I remember. Thanks self for pulling me off the ledge one more time.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re in this together you know. Happy Sunday?”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that. It’s happy enough, given the circumstances.”

“You’re exhausting!”

😳😊😟😉😜😀😢😣😐😘😌☺️😒😅😮

And…welcome to my world! My mind battles itself regularly. Yeah, the world is a bit, chaotic these days, but it’s important to unplug when it gets to be too much.

We’re gonna survive this, like we have survived every trying time in our history. I’m not going to tell you, “don’t worry, be happy”. That is a bit delusional, and it is important to stay engaged as a member of “we the people”. But…there is nothing wrong with divagating into your happy place every now and again.

Look! There goes a butterfly! A beautiful graceful butterfly…and there! Look! A flower! Oh, and I just noticed someone being kind…Wow! It’s not as hard as you think.

So…Happy Sunday y’all! I hope you can find your happy, if even for just a moment, this week. Just remember to breathe. ❤️

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 2 July 2017

If people only knew
never say it…only
smoldering remains
weeps perfume when crushed
from obsidian to glass
Some souls find heaven in hell’s corridors.
look! a butterfly!
divagating tweeted blips,
because that is what those with the truest hearts do
softly
magic is in the air
make love bloom
dreamers ask,
“why not?”

~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.


Only the Purest of Hearts

Photo by © Eric Wicklund


Once upon a time, an enchanted tree in an ancient forest was known for granting wishes to those with pure, true hearts.

A scoundrel heard the legend and devised a scheme to fool the old tree into granting his evil desires. He spied a kind old man and overtook him, ripping out his heart, tossing it, still beating, into a satchel. As he approached the tree, it noticed the old man’s pure heart.

“Hello kind sir,” the tree said, “I sense your heart is true. What is your wish?”

“Oh great tree,” the scoundrel replied, “thank you for finding favor with me, a lowly servant. My wish…my wish…”

But before he could utter another word the old tree heaved, unsettling the ground beneath his feet. “What have you done?! Imposter! For your evil deed you shall suffer darkness forevermore!” The old tree’s roots burst through the dust, ensnaring the scoundrel, dragging him into the cold earth.

The tree took pity on the old man. He dispatched the faerie folk to restore to him his heart, granting him a long, happy life. The man continued to bestow kindness, even to strangers, because that is what those with the truest hearts do.

~kat

A 200 Word Tale for Sunday’s Photo Fiction Challenge based on the photo above. This one was quite the challenge and a great lesson in the art of brevity. Truth be told, the first draft of this yarn was over 500 words! Challenges like this help one to become a better writer. You should have a go of it. Click HERE for the details.


Divagate – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku


It’s Friday and time to learn a new word and use it in a Haiku. Though I must admit that the 5/7/5 verses that I come up with are not “true” haiku. By definition, a Haiku is “a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.”

There have been a few words of the day that had something to do with nature. Although I do strive to maintain the form and the “in the moment” impression and “ah-ha” revelation aspect in each Haiku I write. And I might add that I am not Japanese. At least that’s what my DNA tells me….

This piece, though, and my other Friday forays might better be defined as a “Haibun”. Defined as “haikai writings, a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku. The range of haibun is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem, short story and travel journal.” (from Wikipedia)

Ah, but, I divagate, pronounced dahy-vuh-geyt not ‘dee-vuh-geyt’ as you might be tempted to say it, today’s word of the day at Dictionary.com. Although the word “diva” is hard to miss in the first part of this word, its etymology will clarify everything for you. First used late 16th century: from Latin divagat- ‘wandered around,’ from the verb divagari, from di- ‘widely’ + vagari ‘wander.’ (from google under ‘divagate etymology’)

So you see, divagate is not ‘diva+gate’ (sounds like a beauty pageant fiasco, doesn’t it?! 😉), but rather it is ‘di-vagate’ which accounts for its unique pronunciation.

And finally, what does all this mean? I’m glad you asked! According to dictionary.com Divagate means “to wander; stray, or to digress in speech.”

Does the fact that someone is prone to divagate make them a diva? Perhaps. If only to illustrate that said divagator likes to hear themselves talk while demanding that everyone around them listen with rapt attention to their gibberish!

But alas, there I go divagating again. I have been accused of this before, not because I am a diva mind you. Blame it on a short attention span and my tendency to become easily distracted. 😜

And if you have read this far, the very least I can do is reward you with a Haiku or two, the part two of this haibun, which I learned is also Japanese…which I am not…😊

Have a great weekend…and for my US friends, enjoy your Independence…4th of July Celebration Day…emphasis on “independence” while it lasts!!! 😳

one hundred forty
divagating tweeted blips,
known also, as spin

follow if you can
divagators who drivel
look! a butterfly!

~kat


Secrets – Magnetic Poetry Monday


secrets are

breathy murmurs 

that root deep into

the soul of a willing

listener who must

never say it…only

wither in quiet

knowing

~kat

(Magnetic Poetry – Nature Kit) 


Twittering Tale #37 – 27 June 2017

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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!

The Round-Up – Twittering Tale #36 – 20 June 2017

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Photo by Tyler Hendy at pexels.com

From Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:

Yummy kebabs* at last! Hungry eyes looked on, not wanting to disappoint, he called out, “Hey! let’s share it between the two of us”.
(134 characters)

From Michael at Morpethroad:

She said she’d meet me at the last table.
I waited.
It grew late.
She didn’t show.
Humiliation takes on a sad look.
So many having fun.
Not me.
(139 characters)

From Reena at ReInventions:

He had come there after ten years, only to reminisce of old times. Suddenly, he caught sight of the girl in a yellow shirt. He felt the past moving towards him, once again.

From Radhika at Radhika’s Reflections:

The doctor had given up all hope on her ailing child. The mother brought her son out for dinner, probably their last meal together!
(133 characters)

From Di at Pensitivity101:

He sat where they used to sit, ordered what they used to eat, people watched as they used to do.
God, how he missed her.
(119 characters)

From Soul Connection at Through My Heart’s Web:

At same place to celebrate Love Anniversary with same coffee.I am here,sadly you left world.I knw you are always with Me in my Heart n Soul.

From Susmita at Uniquesus:

He was to meet his first love at the old café they used to haunt together decades ago. How would she look now he wondered?
(123 characters)

From Lorraine at in 25 words more or less:

I
sliver of a van Gogh moment
blurring cafés and centuries
waiting for Theo; waiting for you
turning right to left; death to life
(125 characters; 23 words)

II
I arrive early; reconnoiter
he is leaning against wall
looking casual
I blend into neon blur
to watch before
we meet; first date
(123 characters; 23 words)

From Michael at Flawed Masterpieces:

I sat waiting for Jerry to arrive with my banana, only to discover a kielbasa. That was when I knew I was in a someone else’s story…

From Stacy at Warning the Stars:

“Ahh,” Jenny greeted each sidewalk cafe the same.
She would unload her books, drink java, and dream beneath the streetlights of the city.
From Kathryn at Another Foodie Blogger:
The man at the bar who brought her a drink was dreamy. She felt love at first sight, but the world started blurring as they stepped outside.
From Sight11 at Journey:

As I walk towards my home..
I see some empty chairs..
Waiting outside of a restaurant…
A smile emerges on my face..
For a person I know..
Is getting Tormented by the same fate..
As these chairs wait for someone..
My wife waits for me..
At our home.

From Peter at Peter’s Ponderings:

Excellent brandy!
The far tables were already disappearing.
He ordered another bottle, knowing full well that he would never have to pay.
(137 characters)

From John at Broadsides:

From my driver’s seat I see they drink alcohol, they wear short skirts, and they blaspheme. Infidels! The safety bollards are on the wrong side. I will go to paradise

From Willow at Willowdot21:

Working her tables being the sweetest waitress ever. This was a lucrative hunting area. There’s always plenty of prey for a thirsty Vampire.
(140 Characters )

And starting us off, my tale:

“Great!” she mumbled, before slipping away unnoticed, “Stuart from the mailroom.”
Stuart waited two hours. His blind date never showed.
(136 Characters)

A fine collection of tales this week. As always, we had a variety of takes ranging from romance and melancholy to horror…and there was even one tale that referenced the previous week’s prompt. What fun! Thanks to everyone who joined the challenge. This week a photo I took at the shopping center near my home. These fellows caught my attention. This is not a job I could ever see myself doing. My legs turn to noodles when I am too far off the ground. So tell me, what is their story? Remember 140 characters or less in your tell-all tale. Have fun! See you at next week’s round-up!

Twittering Tale #37 – 27 June 2017

Tower

Photo by Kat Myrman

Took the job for the pay and benefits. Now they want us to spy on the public. It’s my last day; training the newbie. If people only knew.

~kat