Autumn…a haibun

The first leaf fell today,
	lacking even grace of color,
to lie quiescent on the sidewalk
	‘til wind-blown travel claimed it.
Soon millions more will throw themselves
	to willing death,
flaming brightly before reduced to
	crackling beneath feet in futile protest.

Days grow shorter, nights stretch longer,
	nights where passion once flamed brightly,
now passing also into death,
	unwilling on my part,
	kamikaze-like on yours.

The fire that now burns
	devours all the love
	and leaves not even embers
	that soft breath could coax back to life.

Autumn's harbingers
Lie dying before my eyes
Love once green now dead

Friday Fictioneers….Memories may be beautiful and yet…

Time for another hundred words, despite being a bit distracted today by the news that my mom’s in the hospital for a few days with a UTI and blood infection.  Thankfully, the former caused her to go for testing, which discovered the latter, making it much easier to treat.  An IV antibiotic should kick them both out on their not-so-merry ways.  Fortunately, the story more or less wrote itself in my mind while on the way home from work the other day.

Thanks to David Stewart of The Greenwalled Tower for the photo prompt and to Rochelle for hostessing the menagerie of writers each week.

Memories may be beautiful and yet…*

“Wow! The houses look so small. I remember them as big.”

“The tree we used to climb is gone. Wonder if the creek’s still there?”

“Oh, man, looks like Love Canal or something. There’s that spiky gate Jimmy almost impaled himself on.”

“Remember when…” and we were off and story-telling. Joe’s hands shaped paper boats like the ones we used to float in the creek. Jimmy, Joe, and Jenny. Inseparable. Until they left.

I launched every boat, one for each year. “Ooh Rah, Jimmy,” we both said softly. Joe saluted, then turned the wheelchair around and headed for the car.

 

*Thanks to Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the line from their song, “The Way We Were.”

Friday Fictioneers: Perspective

Friday Fictioneers
Janet Webb

Eyes observe photo
Tumbling thoughts settle into
One-hundred word story

Copyright Adam Ickes

Perspective

“Grandma, how come you can’t take your teeth out at night like Eddie’s Oma?”

“Grandma, how come your hair’s white?”

“Grandma, why do we pray “Halloween be Thy name?”

“Grandma, why does he have earrings in his lip?”

“Grandma, can I get a puppy?”

“Grandma, why can’t we have purple grass?

“Grandma, don’t run so fast. I can’t keep up!”

“Grandma, you smell nice.”

“Grandma, I’ll be five tomorrow. How old are you?”
“I’m sixty, honey.”
“Grandma! How many is sixty? That’s OLD!!”
“It all depends on your perspective, Riley.”
“Do I have ‘spective, Grandma?”
“You will, dear; you will.”

********

(“Oma” is a word for “grandmother” in German and Dutch.)

(For another look at “Perspective”, take a look at my post on this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge.)

I’m not sure why the WordPress gremlins are at work, but the little blue link critter doesn’t want to show up in my post. But you can click on the boring link below to find links to the other stories.

An InLinkz Link-up

Friday Fictioneers–2084

Take heart, all ye brave Fictioneers
For Wednesday is finally here.
Look at the prompt.
Create what you want.
Work through the blood, sweat and tears.

One week I’m sure that I heard,
“One hundred words? That’s absurd!
I can’t tell my story
In all of its glory
With that few,” some authors averred.

Now that the deadline is near
Even tho’ that story’s so dear
If you wield the scalpel
Relief will be palpable
And your writing all that much more clear.

(Thanks for the striking picture, Jennifer, and for hosting, Rochelle; everyone else for writing and reading.)

copyright-jennifer-pendergast

Genre:  Science fiction

2084

The searing light felt as if it plumbed the depths of his brain before he went under again.

“More anesthetic! Hurry the download.”

………

The once-a-month headache always emanated from his right eye.  His government-assigned doctor offered no explanation, assuring him the brain scan found nothing abnormal.  More disturbing were the sense of emptiness and the loss of short-term memory the next day; possible side-effects of age, he surmised.  As he proffered his pass at the high-level security gate, he wondered again why he couldn’t forget that jingle from his “Ancient Advertising” class:  “Is it live or is it Memorex?”

**********

For those of you too young to remember Memorex (pun not intended but noted) , here are a couple links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZyFcJcZiaU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhfugTnXJV4

This week I had two stories and couldn’t decide which one I liked better.  I’m posting this one today and  I’ll post the other Thursday, then come back and edit this post so the link is included.  (Here’s the link for story #2: https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/friday-fictioneers-2-the-eyes-have-it/.) If you’d like to read both, wonderful; if you have more than enough other stories to read, I completely understand!  🙂  In the meantime, for stories by other Fictioneers, click on the little blue guy that follows and settle in for some fun.