Photo Credit: Al Forbes @ A Mixed Bag
Hannah loved storms. She spent hours watching strobes of lightning, counting, “one-one thousand…two-one thousand…three…” until the thunder boomed, rattling the house.
One spring day, Hannah found herself out in the elements when a massive storm rolled in.
With no shelter in sight, she headed back through the pasture toward the road where her car was parked. “What’s a little rain,” she thought, “I won’t melt!”
Suddenly, she felt a tingling from head to toe. There was a bright flash of light. Hannah didn’t see it as much as she felt it…a massive, magnificent burst of energy in every cell of her body. For a brief moment Hannah realized she had been struck by lightning. “It doesn’t hurt,” she thought. Then everything went black.
A local farmer found her after the storm. She had survived, but her recovery would be long and painful. They say that being struck by lightning is like being cooked in a microwave oven…from the inside out!
But Hannah will tell you that she still loves storms. Since her tryst with lightning she has developed a peculiar talent. She no longer needs to count between the lightning and the thunder…she just knows.
kat ~ 17 March 2016
(196 Words)
A story in response to the photo prompt above by Al Forbes for his Sunday Photo Fiction Challenge. If you would like to read other stories or enter your own, click HERE.
I do not like this spring time change
I don’t need daylight…I need sleep
I wake up feeling quite shortchanged
I do not like this spring time change
To lose one hour just feels strange,
shifting my circadian bleeps
I do not like this spring time change
I don’t need daylight…I need sleep
kat ~ 13 March 2016
A triolet (/ˈtraɪ.əlᵻt/ or US /ˌtriː.əˈleɪ/) is a stanza poem of eight lines. Its rhyme scheme is ABaAabAB and often all lines are in iambic tetrameter: the first, fourth and seventh lines are identical, as are the second and final lines, thereby making the initial and final couplets identical as well.
Happy Friday! Today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day is Psittacism. Originating around 1895, it is Latin for “parrot”. Polly may “want a cracker” but is it a cracker he really wants or just attention?
Though we may not use this word today, we are all familiar with a plethora of examples…those annoying platitudes that rattle around in our head. Think catch phrase, cliche, slogan or talking points and you get the the picture. It’s what we say when we don’t know what to say. Manipulative masters use psittacisms to sway, entice or elicit fear. How often have we heard the phrase, “if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes true.”
Most of us can rattle off a psittacism or two, but the wise will challenge, debate or expound on these rote assumptions. Oft repeated psittacisms can shut down intelligent debate.
“It was all for the best.” Well, I suppose that depends on one’s definition of “best”.
“Wait an hour after eating before getting into the water.” Why? Who knows? And yet, when at the seashore many of us will think twice before taking a dip right after lunch!
“They’re coming after your guns…” Hasn’t happened yet…and likely won’t, but many people continue to cling to this talking point, hunkering down in fear of the impending “they”.
I know I’ve been guilty of psittacisms when I repeat something I’ve heard just to fill space. It’s all just meaningless noise! True communication requires thoughtfulness and open dialogue.
You can’t speak your mind if you’re using a script! ~ kat 2016
Have a great weekend! May it be filled with great conversation and enlightening insights!
a few Haiku…
Some psittacisms
like a Mother’s do”s and don’t’s,
haunt the guilty.Smug bible thumpers
drone vapid psittacisms…
Actions speak louder.Catchy talking points,
When fools use psittacisms,
There is no debate!
kat – 11 March 2016
Happy Thursday! It is that time again! Time to take a look at my neighborhood! This week we had an interesting development! I remember sharing a photo of one of our neon landmarks downtown…the Dr. Pepper sign. Back then it had a few visitors…Spider-Man and the Hulk, I believe. This week Batman and Super Man are gracing the platform!
Let the epic battle commence while an unsuspecting but hopeful population sleeps!
The local paper getting ready to run tomorrow mornings paper.
Thanks to Jacqueline at a cooking pot and twisted tales. Click HERE to see other neighborhoods from around the globe!
like mercury colliding... 