Prompted Posting

“The Guy in the Bunny Suit”

The prompt this week from
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus
is a photo of a guy dressed up in a bunny suit. We can write anything up
to 100 words inspired by the prompt.

Here are my 100:

The alarm woke me at 7am, as usual. Like always, I went straight to the
kitchen for coffee. One of my shoes was in the middle of the kitchen
floor. Strange. I had coffee, put away the out-of-place shoe and set off
to work. I wonder why I’d left that shoe there. I drove to town,
said hi to the startled guy in the elevator, and then remembered that
shoe. I remembered putting it there when I came in from the party… to
remind me. To remind me to change out of the bunny suit before going to
work. Uh-oh!

Jenny kindly wrote back in response to this post saying it was lighter than my usual style, so I thought I'd revert to type and offer an alternative!

Hi Jenny - well, I thought it was about time I stepped out of stereotype for at least one session! Glad you liked it. Blue bunny guy didn't really seem to call for the intense treatment....

  "The day my brother died he was wearing the blue suit. The one with

the ears. The one with the bullet hole in the back. The one I dream of

every day. Every day. When we used to take out the suit on each

anniversary my Dad would close his eyes and say he was trying not to

dream of the awful day coming when our hearts will be opened and judged.

He never knew it was me who put the hole in the suit. He will never have

to know what judgement is like. Not the way I do."

OK - so you could go intense with the bunny man, I guess!

The prompt this week from
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus
is "April showers bring May flowers". We can write anything up to 105
words including the prompt.

Here's mine:

April showers bring May flowers

It was raining on the day they let me out. Slow hard sheets of awful rain.
Seven years shovelling dust in a desert pen burnt the soles of my feet
and put a crust on my hard heart. Then it rained the day they set me free,
and purple flowers came through the sand like bruises. The rain was
hissing in my ears the way Mom used to do when she’d hold my face in
her hands and tell me to be thankful for what I didn’t know was
coming. “April Showers” she always said. “April showers
bring May flowers, darlin’ girl. My darlin’ girl.”

The prompt this week from
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus
is "exit 181, 1/2 mile ahead", and this week it can be anything up to 105 words including the prompt.

Here's mine:

The sign is very clear. They always are. This one says "exit 181, 1/2 mile
ahead". But it isn't true. Not for me. Exit 181 was 30 years ago. I was in
the Ford then, and Sarah and the boys were still with me. Exit 181 was the
day we went to see Sammy for the last time and I lost Sarah's brooch. She said 
it didn't matter, but that wasn't true either.  I won't be taking exit 181
today. She won't be there. You can't go back. Perhaps your exit 181 is up
ahead. Mine is long gone and I'm driving on.

The prompt this week from
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus
is “I’m not a chicken”, and this week it has to be a
poem of up to 104 words including the prompt.
This a very quick entry just because nobody
else had had a go when I looked so I thought I’d join in!

I’m not a chicken, of course
But I know what it’s like to feel fear.
I’m not a saddled-up horse
But I know when I buck and I rear
The sensation of fighting in vain.

You may not struggle like me
But you know what it’s like to be lost.
You may believe you are free
But you know that it comes at the cost
Of ignoring another in pain.

And so we ignore the dark stain
We pretend we don’t see it appear.
It won’t wash away in the rain
And it won’t wash away in a tear.

The prompt this week from
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus
is “The curtain parted...”

You get to write up to 100 words on top of the prompt to tell your little
tale.

Here’s mine:

THE CURTAIN PARTED

The curtain parted company with the rail and fell crashing to the stage, just as Hamlet and the rest arose, as if from sleep, from what should have been their final rest. Illusion shattered. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are back, and lugging furniture off stage ready for the evening performance. Polonius is sipping tea, and Old Hamlet’s ghost seems to be getting a little colour in his cheeks. Yorick, alas, still seems worryingly thin. Lights, lights! We smile and rise from our seats. Ophelia is fetching a step ladder. It’s theatre, darling. Pure theatre. Let's have a drink on the way home.

Saturday Centus, week 44.

The prompt this week from
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus
is “Everything depended upon this single card…”

You get to write up to 100 words on top of the prompt to tell your little tale.

Here’s mine.

Everything depended upon this single card. It always does.

That last card that didn’t draw a straight flush when I was
seventeen; the never-seen card, years later, that would have proved she
really loved me after all; the Hanged Man turned over in the quiet surgery
when I didn’t quite believe - but really believed so much. But this
one, this would be my very last chance to leave a mark, to show I had a
voice. I had planned it for years, but told nobody.

And in the end it surprised nobody but me. It simply said: “No
flowers please”.

Jenny Matlock at http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus posts up a prompt each week for us to take as a starting point for a short piece of writing. This week, we have a grand total of 106 words to write something including the prompt “I’d catch a grenade for ya…”. The challenge with these is sometimes that you may not like the prompt. This one didn’t do anything for me and I struggled partly because I don’t like the very words themselves. “Grenade” is not a word I would ever choose to work with. And as for “ya”… well! But hey ho, sleeves rolled up, let’s see what we can do. It’s hard to be subtle or ambiguous with the word “grenade”. I don’t want to write a war story, thanks, and I’ve never actually seen a grenade in real life, I don’t think, so I’ll write something from the point of view of somebody else who has never seen one. In fact, the narrator of this little tale may not have seen much at all, and if she did she wouldn’t have noticed it for what it was. There are a lot of people like that about! But then, how would you know if you were one of them yourself (myself)? Anyway, here’s my effort for this week

“I’d catch a grenade for ya”

‘Jedediah, my oldest boy (the slow one), was a selfish, pointless child. The kind that says “I’d catch a grenade for ya, Ma”, but when it came to it wouldn’t have caught a cold to keep it from me. For his little brother Sam, sure, but not for me. Drove me to distraction. I can’t count the beatings I recall. Sweet little Sam never drew my fire that way. After each one Jedediah laughed “I caught that one, Sam!” I never knew what he meant by that. After Jed died Sam moved away. I don’t know why. It could have been just me and him together.’

(106 words including the 6-word prompt):

It was growing bigger by the minute…

It’s another Saturday Centus from Jenny Matlock’s blogspot at http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/2011/02/saturday-centus-it-was-growing-bigger.html

We have 100 words to play with (plus the prompt itself, if we want, but I prefer the round 100). This week’s prompt is “it was growing bigger by the minute...”.  I notice that some contributors say we have to set the scene, introduce the characters, and tell a complete story… Well, I’m sorry. My life doesn’t feel like that. Perhaps that’s why I like these 100-word pieces: they are so like pieces of life. The back story and the end-game are all here, even if they aren’t always visible.

Here’s my 100-word prompt take on this week’s prompt. Thanks for any comments you might want to leave. I’m somehow not expecting you all to like this one as much as you kindly said you liked some of my others!

Years later, when I got out, I thought back over those letters from the chest and realised that my anger was subsiding. Forgiveness grows slowly. So slowly. The chapters I was writing to free myself were not getting bigger very fast, or by much at a time. Each page was a moment of forgiveness, but each moment was tiny. My life? It was growing bigger by the minute increments that only a quiet heart can perceive. Love doesn’t do what we expect. Cracks of sunlight sparkled through dust in the attic air as I boxed everything up for the move.

It’s another Saturday Centus. We have 100 words, and I’ve given myself just one sitting, to write what comes to mind when we see the prompt. This is 100 words including the prompt: "she lifted the stack of letters from the ancient chest...".

Wiping the mud from hands still stained with her father’s blood, she lifted the stack of letters from the ancient chest where she had watched him return them every night for the whole of her life. After the suppers and the walks and the washing and the lying awake listening to the shuffling papers we bury what we fear, as we bury what we love in a short shallow grave out back. They were stained with his tears. Half a lifetime of tears. As was she.

And the one who wrote the letters had been stained with the other half.

------------------

Feb 8, 2011
Jenny Matlock
Holy intense writing, Batman! This was amazing. I loved the cadence and rhythm and intensity of this writing. Really, really superb!

08-Feb-11
Rekha
Some many questions left unanswered....well crafted and intriguing. 
www.achronicleofdreams.blogspot.com 

1 Jan 29, 2011 10:18 AM
Kat
This was powerful, evocative and disturbing. Great take on the prompt, beautifully written.

Jan 29, 2011 10:29 AM
Ames
Oh wow a mystery! Secrets abound. Did she kill her father? Did he kill the one who wrote the letters? You've left us hanging.....~Ames
http://www.rivahchick.blogspot.com/

Jan 29, 2011 10:35 AM
Judie
OMG!
There are many possibilities here, aren't there? Great take on the prompt!
htto://rogueartistsspeak.blogspot.com/

Jan 29, 2011 10:50 AM
Sue
Oh, well done! =)
grannysuesnews.blogspot.com

Jan 29, 2011 11:01 AM
Elysabeth
Interesting - so perhaps this will turn into a longer story - so you can give us the backstory or the beginning - lol - Interesting - E :) -------------
Elysabeth Eldering Author of the JGDS series http://jgdsseries.weebly.com

Jan 29, 2011 11:32 AM
claudia
Oh, loaded with intrigue here...a murder's worth!

Jan 29, 2011 12:45 PM
Robyn Engel
Just one sitting? You've got a gift with words. This was eerie and very well written. I particularly like "we bury what we love." xoRobyn
Rawknrobyn@aol.com

Jan 29, 2011 4:40 PM
Viki
Very intriguing take on this. Kinda creepy though but really good, ha, ha.

Jan 29, 2011 7:20 PM
Michelle
Interesting, I liked this. Did she kill her Father? I'd for sure like to more of this one!
http://tragiccreativity.blogspot.com/

Jan 30, 2011 11:45 AM
Tina
Good one! We've had a lot of sweet and sentimental this go around, but blood and murder are great, too! (My continuing story is also bloody and murderous).
http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/

Jan 30, 2011 3:44 PM
Donna
I freaking loved it. Thanks
http://dazeedreams.blogspot.com/

Jan 30, 2011 6:12 PM
Jo
this is dark and unsettling ... really well written ... i am so intrigued ...
http://mypaperplayhouse.blogspot.com/

Feb 1, 2011 8:39 PM
Gems and Rhinestones
Bloody and engrossing! Great to read.
www.gemsandrhinestones.wordpress.com

Feb 3, 2011 5:47 PM
cj Schlottman
This piece is so visual and the concrete images give it great strength. Wonderful writing, masterfully drawing me in to the secrets of the letters. Thanks..........cj
http://theredsweater.blogspot.com/

Feb 5, 2011 1:00 AM
Tom Goette Wow, this was intense! I'm amazed at what some people can conjure up so early in the morning! Fantastic job!
http://tgoette-sophisticatedlunacy.blogspot.com/

Feb 6, 2011 11:19 PM
Anna's Adornments, Sweden
Good start! This was a dark and chilling text. Hope you do more with this. Maybe you should write a short story that reveals itself slowly? Best wishes, Anna
http://annasadornments.blogspot.com/2011/01/mrs-jenny-matlocks-saturday-centus-week_29.html

Feb 7, 2011 1:15 AM
gaelikaa
It's amazing how many original takes there are on this prompt. I loved them all and I love this one too.
gaelikaa-writeaway.blogspot.com

This is another "Saturday Centus" exercise from http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday Centus
The instruction for this one was to write up to 100 words on a science fiction theme including the prompt "Beam me up, Scottie...". Here's what I came up with:

Beam me up, Scottie, and go to warp five.
There’s nothing left here;
At least… not alive.

The oceans are boiling; the sky is on fire.
The capital city?
A funeral pyre.

The aliens beat us, they got here first,
Of the planets I’ve seen,
This got it worst.

But the aliens really just finished the job,
Of reducing this world
To a smouldering blob.

The climate was ruined, pollution was rife,
This planet was reaching
The end of its life.

We learnt just one thing, for what it is worth:
The people who lived here
Called it “The Earth”.

Jan 31, 2011 1:24 PM
Jenny Matlock
Holy jumping aliens! This is incredible. Geez, who are you? You must be a professional writer because this was incredible. Thanks for an amazing link. Really, really top notch.
http://www.jennymatlock.blogspot.com Jan 22, 2011
Sue
Oh, I like this one! Nicely done!! =)
http://grannysuesnews.blogspot.com

Jan 22, 2011
Faith
Really good! Enjoyed it. :)
http://articlesoffaithandfancy.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/beam-me-up-scottie/

Jan 22, 2011
Polly (aka 5th Sister)
Disturbing, haunting, yet lyrical piece. Maybe we can turn things around (I lament hopefully)
http://5thsister.blogspot.com

Jan 22, 2011
Judie
What a terrific poem! You really made the prompt come alive.
http://rogueartistsspeak.blogspot.com/

Jan 22, 2011
Terra
Steven Hawkings would be proud. Well done!
http://www.sittingonanoak.com

Jan 22, 2011
Nonna Beach I really enjoyed this poem. You are a true wordsmith... Excellent job !!! http://lynnskitchen202.blogspot.com

Jan 22, 2011
Kat
This was a terrific way to use the prompt. I really enjoyed this, although I fear it's a bit too true.
http://mbkatc230-emptynester.blogspot.com/

Jan 22, 2011
Tom
Great job with the poem! Thought you captured the bleakness of our future particularly well. Nice job with the genre and prompt too!
http://tgoette-sophisticatedlunacy.blogspot.com/2011/01/to-go-where-everyone-has-gone-before.html

Jan 23, 2011
linda
Oh boy. This is so spooky and scary. Way too close to what we could be headed for if we don't get our heads outa our butts. Great job.
http://lindas-justwords.blogspot.com/

Jan 23, 2011
Karen S.
Cool, great responsive earthy kind of poem! Very funny!
http://twincitiesblather.blogspot.com

Jan 23, 2011
Robyn Engel
Wow. This is fantastic. It's got a great rhythm and is very profound. I'm going to go back for a re-read. Thank you.
xo Robyn
http://www.Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com

Jan 24, 2011
jeff
Oh my, what a wonderful poem ;-) This is so fine...Peace and blessings
http://tennesseemudbug.blogspot.com/2011/01/alien-adventure.html

Jan 25, 2011
Ames
This is excellent!~Ames  
http://rivahchick.blogspot.com/ 

Jan 27 2011
Nancy Jane 
Thought provoking and I admire your poetry skills...
http://athomeinthehills.blogspot.com 

Jan 27 2011
Rek
You painted a strong visual image...a possibility that looms  over us....
loved the use of poetry on this prompt..... 
http://www.achronicleofdreams.blogspot.com 

Jan 27 2011
Anna's Adornments, Sweden
Very well done. It flows nicely as a poem and yet is a serious  sci-fi text. 
Have you ever heard of Aniara by Harry Martinson?    Best wishes,  Anna
http://annasadornments.blogspot.com/