Photo by Kat Myrman 2016
Winter tree
stripped bare by the frost
wears ivy
’round her roots
so to remember the spring’s
fair blooms in waiting.
kat ~ 10 February 2016
A Shadorma (Six Line Stanza / Syllable Pattern: 3-5-3-3-7-5) in response to Jane Dougherty’s weekly poetry challenge. This week’s prompt is based on the word: “Tree”. To read more or enter your own poem click HERE.
Photo Credit: Ady
“The red bench, he said. Meet me at the red bench. Do you know how many red benches there are? Sixteen! I know because I counted each one…twice!”
The squirrel was unusually attentive as Sally ranted. She was a wet mess after traipsing through the park! She plopped on the nearest bench to catch her breath.
The clock tower in the square started to gong. When Sally looked up he was walking toward her. At least she thought it was him. She glanced behind to make sure.
“Wow. His photo did not do him justice,” she thought, “how can someone so handsome take such awful pictures?”
“You must be Sally! I’d know you anywhere!”
“Hello…Charles? You are Charles, aren’t you?”
He laughed. “Yes. It’s me. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“Not at all,” Sally lied, “I just arrived myself.”
He knew she was lying. He didn’t care. Watching her go from bench to bench, talking to squirrels had captured his heart.
He reached for her hand, “Let’s get dinner, shall we?”
~ kat – 9 February 2016
(175 Words)
This story is inspired by the photo above as part of Flash Fiction for the Aspiring Writer’s (FFfAW) weekly challenge. If you would like to read other stories and or enter your own, click HERE.
Photo Credit: Pixabay Public Domain
She always reserved room for chocolate.
kat ~ 9 February 2016
A Six Word Story based on the Prompt:” Pleasure”. Thanks to Nicola Aukland a “Sometimes Stellar Storyteller” for hosting. Read more HERE.
Photo Credit: A Mixed Bag 2011
Jonathan’s grandfather had left him an old map containing a detailed description of the quarters he kept while serving as a member of the Royal Engineers, 172nd Tunneling Company. They had been commissioned by Churchill in 1940 to dig an elaborate maze of tunnels through the chalky walls of the White Cliffs of Dover during World War II.
When the National Trust discovered the tunnels in 2013 and opened them for public tours after clearing over 40 years of debris, Jonathan reserved a ticket hoping to find the mark his grandfather had made decades earlier.
His grandfather’s map read, “One hundred twenty-five steps into the belly of the Fan Bay, bear right and continue on 12 metres or so. It’s there I left my mark for all eternity and generations to come.”
Jonathan traced his grandfather’s steps deep into the tunnel. It only took him seconds to find the initials and the date, 25 November 1940 etched into the chalk walls. Jonathan ran his fingers over the letters carved into the wall. “This is your legacy to the world Gramps,” he thought, “But your stories? They are forever etched on my heart.” …for all eternity and generations to come…
kat ~ 9 February 2016
(199 Words )
A story inspired by the photo above for Sunday Photo Fiction’s Weekly Challenge. To read other stories or enter your own, click HERE.
Happy Friday to you! Today’s Word of the Day from dictionary.com is another one of those dinosaur words. It is a word that appeared in the early 17th century and had a fairly good run of it until the 20th century. One might even say that “Nugatory” is a nugatory word.
So why am I spending an entire post on this nugatory word? Why do I spend any Friday, for that matter, on a nugatory quest in pursuit of interesting anecdotes for nugatory words? (I’m not sure I like this word…it doesn’t roll off the tongue like some words do…perhaps this is why it has gone the way of the dodo!)
And yet here we are. One might say, I pursue these words on a dare. And this is true. I am determined to see it through, this challenge I set for myself to write a haiku based on dictionary.com’s word of the day. Or you might say it is because I have a haiku to write. But I certainly don’t need the added aggravation of trying to fit a long-in-syllable, obsolete word into a haiku when there are plenty of reasonable prompts available to me.
The thing is, when Thursday evening comes, my excitement grows in anticipation of Friday’s word drop. Sometimes I even wait up until midnight to have a look. (Note: the Word of the Day doesn’t post at 00:00:01…just an FYI if you’re interested. Sometimes it doesn’t post for HOURS after midnight.) But it is the surprise of it and the challenge of it that gives me joy! It matters not to me how nugatory a word may be…even if the nugatory word is in fact “nugatory”!
Because words…beautiful words in all their forms, quirks and origins have value in the role that they have played in defining how we have evolved over time. If you don’t believe me, consult the Urban Dictionary to be enlightened.
I admit, I do love reading dictionaries for FUN! And I also love writing Haiku. So what’s not to love about this nugatory weekly practice?! I can’t think of anything! 🙂
Have a great weekend! And if you dare, snuggle up with a good book, like um…a dictionary or an encyclopedia if you’re really looking for something deep! 🙂
From a simple Google Search I found this definition:
nu·ga·to·ry ˈn(y)o͞oɡəˌtôrē/adjective
adjective: nugatory
1-of no value or importance. “a nugatory and pointless observation”
synonyms: worthless, unimportant, inconsequential, valueless, trifling, trivial,
insignificant, meaningless “a nugatory observation”2-useless; futile.”the teacher shortages will render nugatory the hopes of
implementing the new curriculum” synonyms: futile, useless, vain, unavailing,
null, invalid “the shortages will render our hopes nugatory”Origin
early 17th century: from Latin nugatorius, from nugari ‘to trifle,’ from nugae ‘jests.’
Nugatory Haiku
nobody listened
her thoughts were nugatory
they assumed…what fools!
we dismiss cursive
as a nugatory form
scorned like the dodo.
it’s nugatory
the way some candidates stump
as if they will win.
kat ~ 5 February 2016
like mercury colliding... 