Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash
Dappled light upon the pillow falls
Summer leaves for position jockey
Making shadows dance in the breeze
As moonbeams-mysterious seek
Their grounding beneath the trees
On such a night as this
Let us dream of things as sweet
Sheltered in mystic moonlight
Until in the morn again we meet
Padre
Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge:
Today’s prompt: Write something around the words “mystic moonlight”
Pixabay
Falls
They stood before the cascading waters and spray of the majestic waterfall. The world was theirs, full of beauty and promise. Hand-in-hand they gazed into their future.
Beautiful – Plunging
Uncontrolled by man’s power
Calming – Turbulence
She stood before the cascading waters and spray of the majestic waterfall. Her world like the waters themselves, careening. Widowed, she walked away alone.
Padre
This week Colleen has challenged us to write a poem in the haibun form. A haibun, she explains follows this format:
I have chosen to write in the prose envelope form.
In the challenge, Colleen asked that we try to incorporate Frank J. Tassone’s photo (below). I had first thought to write using it and having it as the scene of a “fall,” but that seemed too dark when I delved into it. I then took the licence of making the scene “a little bit further along the cliff at a waterfall,” and setting the narrative on two separate dates spaced years apart.
© 2020 Frank J. Tassone
Pixabay
Thus far the Nile Cruise had been everything Troy and Mary had hoped for. Their cabin was a quiet paradise, in which the could escape into the bliss of their second honeymoon. The entire experience was packed with adventure and romance.
Yesterday’s excursion had been a wonderful hot air balloon ride, in which the panoramic beauty of the Nile and surrounding desert was spread out below them. Then a exquisite dinner and an evening of quiet cuddles finished the day.
This morning, they has taken a camel excursion to the pyramids with all of the appropriate photo-ops. Now they sat is a cafe enjoying strong Arab coffee.
“This is so perfect,” Mary said. “And you know what, I think this copper coffeepot makes it taste even better.”
“Tell you what, when we are done here, let’s go to the souq and see if we can find one just like it,” Troy suggested.
“Oh that sounds marvelous,” Mary said excitedly. She gulped down her last swallow of coffee, and took a photo of the coffee set on her iPhone to be sure they “just the one.”
They then spent well over an hour going in and out of the brightly adorned stalls in search of their elusive set. The shopping adventure also yielded several trinkets they intended to give as gifts, as they discovered them along the way.
At one stall there was an assortment of beautiful hand-woven carpets, and Mary paused for a long while staring at a rose coloured one, with a very artful design, that she thought would look perfect in their bedroom back home. She sighed, and stepped away, only to glance back at it at least twice more.
As they rounded the next corner, they came upon the exact coffee set they were after. After the requisite haggling had been completed, the boxed set was bundled under Troy’s arm along with the bag which contained the small gifts that were purchased earlier.
“Troy Honey, can we take just one more look at that carpet?” Mary asked with feigned shyness.
“Sure,” he said, adjusting the their exotic buys.
She looked longingly at the carpet for a moment and, in not much more than a whisper, said – “I wonder how much it is?”. In an instant, the keen-eared proprietor swooped in, “300 British – 350 American. The very best price,” the man announced.
“Wow, at that price – does it fly?” Troy said with a chuckle.
“No – no, it is 700 for the flying one,” the man said in an earnest tone.
A few moments later, Troy was staggering under the load of the rolled up carpet, and the boxed coffee set, though Mary had taken the bag of presents.
As they retraced their steps through the souq, trying to get to a taxi stand, Troy muttered, “I should have taken the flying one.”
Padre
Davidoasa at Pixabay.com
“Alright, Hunt, you shall be relieving Tyler,” Ensign Biggleswade said. “Take off your breastplate and helmet and place them next to Tyler’s over there.”
The pikeman complied and then returned to stand before the officer.
“Now, let me see the bottom of your shoes,” Biggleswade instructed.
The soldier gave a puzzled look and then lifted his left foot to allow the officer to see the iron hobnails on the sole.
“Take them off and put them with your armour,” he was told.
Now standing in stockinged feet, Hunt waited for further order.
“Do you have a pipe?” the ensign asked.
“Yes Sir,” the pikeman replied.
“Go put it and your flints and any tappers into your shoes.”
“Pardon me, Sir. May I ask why I have had to strip so?”
“Simply put Hunt, you are going to go into those cloisters and guard five hundred barrels of gunpowder. We don’t want any accidents.”
“Thank you, Sir,” the soldier said.
“Thank you?” the ensign asked.
“For looking out for me, Sir.”
“Ah, protect you. That too, I suppose,” the officer mused aloud. “However, the king’s primary concern is not having to rebuild Oxford.”
Padre
Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #72
image – Pexels
Crystal let out an involuntary laugh, and then tried to stifle her giggles. The two broad shouldered macho-types sitting on her couch looked at her as if she had gone mad.
“What’s so funny?” her boyfriend Rich asked.
“It’s just – it’s just,” she tried to say before bursting into another chuckle. Calming herself, she finally managed to say, “It’s just that Dave just asked you, ‘Do you remember when we used to hump until we died?’. You don’t want to know the image that went through my mind,” she said, before bursting into another fit of laughter.
“Ha ha,” Rich said sarcastically. “Hump – ‘hike with full gear and pack’.”
“I need to hit the head,” Dave said.
“Down the hall and on the left,” Rich replied.
As his buddy left the room, Rich said, “I know Marine jargon is a bit arcane, but just try to act like a grown up.”
“Okay,” she said and then burst into laughter again, “You two humping. Can’t wait to tell Janet.”
Padre
Pixabay
For you it’s a coffee
For me it’s a tea
On gluten-free cake
We can both agree
Not all things are so easy
That’s plain to see
Especially when it comes
To what’s on TV
Or on a long journey
Of many a mile
Who will control
The radio dial?
Mozart or The Beatles
Pink Floyd or John Cash
Let’s find an agreement
Before our discussion
Ends in a crash
Padre
pixabay
Padre
Jim Adams has challenged us this week to write about song lyrics that can be “Measured with a Thermometer” containing words such as Cool/Freeze/Heat/Melt .
“Cool Night” by Paul Davis appeared as title title track on his 1981 album. As a single it reached eleventh place on the US popular chart. The following year, however, it reached Number 2 on the adult contemporary chart.
Padre
Lyrics:
Pixabay
When feelings long buried – towards the surface climb
When dark and painful memories – their ugly heads rear
When emotions overwhelming – from within you explode
Remember peace and comfort are for you – ever near
There is for you – One – who unlike any other –
All of these burdens – will help you bear
And there are among your sisters and your brothers
Those who will bestow their love, and show you that they really care
Padre
Pixabay
Kurt stared at the unwelcome questionnaire and sighed. Another waste of at least fifteen minutes of my life, he thought to himself, as he ticked the first of eighty-five boxes. Have you had formal training? Yes, and tick, he said silently. Have you had formal vocational training? Yes, duh. If yes, to what level? Culinary College, tick. After another dozen questions he stared incredulously at the form. What does my sexuality have to do with whether I can bake or not? he inwardly fumed, ticking the Prefer not to say box.
Padre
Weekend Writing Prompt #163 – Unwelcome in 91 words
Padre's Ramblings 