Fresh New Resolutions – Flash Fiction – January 1, 2016

Photo Credits: The Write Life

Marian walked round and round the room, trying to decide what resolutions she could make for the upcoming new year.  She’d made lists in the past, but they never came to much, she needed something unique, something fresh but most of all, something she could actually bring off during the year in course.

She thought about the time she’d resolved to give up smoking,  it took her eight years to find the well-power to pull that one off and what about the time she’d resolved to lose those extra kilos, well, she pulled that one off too, but only three years later.  However much she tried she never seemed to meet her resolutions on time.

She began her list once again. She wrote this and that then deleted one thing and another, feeling absolutely frustrated.  Then finally an idea hit her.  Why did she have to make negative resolutions?  Why not make resolutions that actually suited her personality, her tastes, her culture?

So with the power of her new understanding she wrote, “New Year’s Resolutions” at the top of her document and began her list yet again:

• Eat at least one piece of chocolate a day.
• Go out and eat a pizza with friends at least once a month
• Go to the cinema at least once a month and watch a romantic movie
• Meet up with her best friend weekly at the coffee shop and swap gossip
• Sit down and write on her blog for at least an hour a day
• Chat on Facebook with her friends and post kitten photos and videos

She sighed with a sense of accomplishment.  For once she was absolutely certain she’d be resolute enough to follow through on time with her new year’s resolutions.  She copied her list using Picasa onto one of her favourite kitten photos and put it onto her desktop, drank the dregs of her tea and went to bed content as the clock struck twelve.  Fire crackers went off around town. At last,  the new year was born and she said to herself, just before dozing off,  happy 2016!

© G.s.k. ‘16

 

3 Word Wednesday # 460

Fresh, adjective: not previously known or used; new or different, recently created or experienced and not faded or impaired, (of food) recently made or obtained; not canned, frozen, or otherwise preserved, (of a person) full of energy and vigor, (of a color or a person’s complexion) bright or healthy in appearance, (of a person) attractively youthful and inexperienced, pleasantly clean, pure, and cool, presumptuous or impudent toward someone, especially in a sexual way.

New, adjective: not existing before; made, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time, not previously used or owned, of recent origin or arrival, 2 already existing but seen, experienced, or acquired recently or now for the first time.

Resolute, adjective: admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.

The Narrow Road (15 B) – Tanka – December 26, 2015

wandering alone
astonished by the love found
my life is complete
I’ll walk this narrow road
in peace from this day onwards

© G.s.k. ‘15

 

 

Carpe Diem #885 without you: Stone Mountain, at Yamanaka, from this day on

 

sweeping the garden
I want to leave in the temple
scattered willow leaves

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

 

3 Word Wednesday #459

Wander, verb, walk or move in a leisurely, casual, or aimless way, move slowly away from a fixed point or place, of a road or river) wind with gentle twists and turns in a particular direction; meander; noun: an act or instance of wandering.

Astonished, adjective: greatly surprised or impressed; amazed.

Complete, adjective: having all the necessary or appropriate parts, entire; full, having run its full course; finished, (often used for emphasis) to the greatest extent or degree; total; verb: finish making or doing.

Autumn Rain – Trimeric Poem – September 24, 2015

but now the rains begin to fall
soulful – autumn winds howl
mourning the passing of another summer
he laments his passing youth

soulful – autumn winds howl
the trees shudder in their anger
and bend before their might

mourning the passing of another summer
he sits in a pathetic funk
apparently sedate – apparently sedate

he laments his passing youth
he’s taken by a righteous rage
but nothing changes – except the leaves

© G.s.k. ‘15

i just discovered this lovely form this morning  (it’s called the Trimeric) on Two Paise Poetry … who learnt it from Darklight Harbor  and wanted to try it out immediately. The Trimeric was created by Dr. Charles A. Stone and here’s how it works:

a four stanza poem in which the first stanza has four lines and the last three stanzas have three lines each, with the first line of each repeating the respective line of the first stanza. The sequence of lines, then, is abcd, b – -, c – -, d – -.

I also used the words from Three Word Wednesday – pathetic, sedate and righteous.

3 Word Wednesday – Week No. 446

The White Nile – August 28, 2015

running rampant
over thousands of miles
born from a stream

a tiny stream
becomes a menacing giant
and flows to Egypt

flowing
from darkest Africa
the White Nile
rambling for kilometres
unravelling mystery

© G.s.k. ‘15

Written for:

Carpe Diem #805 White Nile and

Three Word Wednesday

Three Word Wednesday Reflections – Free Verse – February 6, 2015

There but for fortune …

before your spring flower wilts
and deathly cold makes you shiver
don’t let your desire for quiet numb you,
’cause there but for fortune go you, or I

you walk down the dirty city streets
not seeing the homeless and weary …
you hear the shouts from next door
ignoring he drinks and beats his wife …

you religiously watch the evening news
so full of horror, yet you’re numb:
a mother killed her own child today,
then guilty jumped to meet her death …

a man lost his job and home
then shot himself in early dawn …
our bombs fall on a foreign city
killing randomly at night …

wilted lives gone stale and bad
“others” shiver in unbidden horrors,
hidden in your desire not to see …
you forget that yours is just good fortune.

© G.s.k. ‘15

3 Word Wednesday

The  words for Three Word Wednesday were: wilt, shiver and desire

Another version of “There But for Fortune” which I’d never heard:

This poem was inspired by one of my readers.  Over the past week, she’s had occasion to write: “there but for fortune …. ” and today I just couldn’t let it pass without reflecting on the song .. and the differnt aspects of our world today, where there but for fortune may go you or I … Here’s to Jen from Blog it or Lose it! with many thanks.

A Lone Tree – Chained Haiku – December 20, 2014

alive
in a snow glaring field
stands a tree

misty thoughts
of years ago when others stood
pass through its rings

memories
of moving life and swaying friends
long past

in the distance
lights cover the valley
a singing wind

alive
on a lone tree in an empty field
a sparrow lands

© G.s.k. ‘14

Alive, adjective: (Of a person, animal, or plant) living, not dead; (of a feeling or quality) continuing in existence; continuing to be supported or in use;(of a person or animal) alert and active; animated; having interest and meaning.

Glaring, adjective: Giving out or reflecting a strong or dazzling light; staring fiercely or fixedly; highly obvious or conspicuous.

Misty, adjective: Full of, covered with, or accompanied by mist; (of a person’s eyes) full of tears so as to blur the vision; indistinct or dim in outline; (of a color) not bright; soft.

 

(Linked to Three Word Wednesday – Mindlovesmisery’s Menagerie

* the photograph of the tree was published on the Fairy Tale prompt from Mindlovesmisery’s Menagerie.

Reflections on Giving and Charity – December 4, 2014

single moments
compacted in the finite
giving to others

a child’s face
generous and jubilant
free giver of smiles

neglected sadness
uplifting the other
charity brings peace

(c) G.s.k. ’14

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“For Carpe Diem’s Tackle it Tuesday, we are at step 16 in the Path of 18 “Ities” – Charity:

 

“Give, give and give. This is the secret of abundance. Radiate thoughts of goodness and love. Forgive the faults of others. Bless the man who injures you. Share what you have with others. Disseminate spiritual knowledge to one and all. Use the material wealth, knowledge and spiritual wisdom that you possess as a divine trust.”

 

sharing haiku
bringing joy and wisdom –
reaching for the stars

© Chèvrefeuille

and for Haiku Horizons this week we have  – Give … a fine coincidence.  I started writing a post for Wordless Wednesday but obviously the other two prompts had somehow gotten “stuck” in my brain so the haiku I wrote all went towards giving and charity. Therefore I’m linking this post to all three prompts today ….

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The 3 Word Wednesday Words:

Compact, adjective: Closely and neatly packed together; dense; having all the necessary components or features neatly fitted into a small space; (of a person or animal) small, solid, and well-proportioned; (of speech or writing) concise in expression, verb: Exert force on (something) to make it more dense; compress; (of a substance) become compressed; noun: A small flat case containing face powder, a mirror, and a powder puff; something that is a small and conveniently shaped example of its kind, in particular.

Jubilant, adjective: Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

Neglected, adjective: Suffering a lack of proper care; not receiving proper attention; disregarded.

 

 

Haiku Horizons – swing

3 Word Wednesday

Tackle it Tuesday

Linked to: Haiku Horizons – Give  –  Three Word Wednesday  – Carpe Diem Tackle it Tuesday

Hurricanes in Tea Cups – Free Verse – October 24, 2014

Pablo Picasso – crying woman – 1937

shouting – smashing objects
in his needy state of rage
his fertile imagination
harvests copious expletives
when the storm is over
slamming doors he leaves

in defensive silence
she contemplates the damage
sweeping up the aftermath –
harvesting guilt feelings
planted by his storms in tea cups
that become hurricanes

© G.s.k. ’14

 

Needy, Defensive, Fertile (Three Word Wednesday)

A Bird Trilogy in Haiku – August 9, 2014

the swallow swirl
around the courtyards at dawn
liberated souls

(C) G.s.k. ’14

after the rain storm
over the muddy fields fly
birds chasing insects

(C) G.s.k. ’14

summer begins
vicious tiger mosquitos
feed hungry sparrows

(C) G.s.k. ’14

 

 

The words to use were:  liberated, muddy, vicious

Written for Three Word Wednesday

The Trekker – July 30, 2014

It seemed like just any other day to Gordon Westerman, in fact it was the day that he learnt an important aspect of his future.

It was the summer of 2025. Gordon Westerman had been out trekking near some mounds in a little known Appalachian area, which were reputed to be haunted by native Americans, when he saw something glistening in the grass not far from the path he’d been walking along. Curious, he went towards the glitter and saw that in fact it was a golden locket. He picked it up and found that it was rather heavy. Placing it in his pocket, he went on his way, feeling he’d been rather lucky to have come across such a precious object and thought nothing more about it.

That evening, in his room at the local guesthouse, after taking a warm shower, he remembered the locket, pulled it out of the pocket of his soiled trousers and began to study it. It was one of those lover’s lockets, with an intricate design, which could be opened. Inside he found two photographs, one of which was of himself, or so it seemed.

The odd thing about the photograph was that he seemed to be in fact older. The face was heavier and there was a lot of grey in the his hair. He was wondering if someone had set him up and if he was the object of some farce. Then he decided that it was probably just a coincidence that the photo resembled him.

He looked carefully at the second photograph. It was the photograph of a youngish looking woman. She’d have been in her late sixties, though why he thought so he couldn’t say. She was a rather handsome woman, if she’d been closer to his own age, he probably would have found her attractive. The next day, he decided to return to the spot where he’d found the locket.

As he arrived near the spot he began to feel uneasy and a little light-headed. There was a peculiar boulder near where the object had been found which he’d remembered from the day before, not far from an ancient mound.  He got off the trail again and started looking around the site, not knowing what he was actually looking for.

After a bit of moving leaves and debris, he found a mouldering heap of bones and two skulls. The skulls were badly damaged, in fact, caved in by some heavy object. He wondered why he hadn’t seen them the day before, they weren’t far from where the locket had been found. He backed off and began to feel rather sick to his stomach and again there was the strange feeling of light-headedness. He quickly got back onto the trail and returned, almost running the whole way, to the guest house.

He told the director what he’d found, who proceeded to call the police once he realized that the tourist was serious. Twenty minutes later a squad car pulled up. Three agents got out of the car, one was a woman who looked to be around twenty or a little more. He liked her walk. As she came closer, his mouth fell open. It was the woman in the photograph he’d found in the locket, only a much younger version. His head began to spin and he felt faint. He decided not to show them the locket.

 

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Written for Three Word Wednesday