Fifteen Minutes of Scrawl

Back to the hollets! A gust of cold air inside a closed off home chills me for it has no source. or perhaps it comes from the creaking and rusted dreams covered in gossamer. I wander the halls seeking out the breeze, but somehow, no one sees me. (Prompt by me) Photo source

I plan for my next post to be a hollet. Hauntings delight us, when they're planned. Death becomes playful for a season. Surprisingly, asking strangers for candy works. Costumes are best when creative, topical. Festive is getting lost in corn. (Prompt by me) Photo source

I'll go back to the hollet, I swear. Monsters don't hide from their reflections. Falling leaves foresee the coming frost. Crisp wind can cut once honed. Sweet treats stick to my teeth. Masks give new faces, identities, personas. (Prompt by me) Photo source

I think people are liking these, so I'm going to keep doing them for a while. A powerful s-motion with scales as tough as bones propels them forward through murky and algae-rich water so they can find their prey, rescue their young, or bask in the sun. Some say they are monsters, I say they are beautiful. (Prompt by me) Photo source

I'm growing quite used to having this poem-style named. Water flows through all our lives, rushing through mountain streams, gushing from faucets, pounding through veins, being poured into cups. It all becomes one whether within or atop our skin and bodies, we need it to cleanse, hydrate, inspire. (Prompt by me) Photo source

I hope you're all liking these. How can focusing hurt so? Shouldn't it ease my path? Narrow it for me? But it does not. It makes me foggy, tired, weary. Focus has made all that can strain ache with a deep, all-encompassing hurt. A bleary world seems simpler. (Prompt by me) Photo source

Plenty of reality shows do spinoffs and a few do crossovers, so why not some fully incorporated seasons? Bachelor/ette and Are You the One?: Have the "matchmakers" match up old contestants and then put them through the regular course of Are You the One? I think it coudl be a big hit. RuPaul's Drag Race and Are You the One?: Similar idea to the one above. Have all of the queens matched by the "experts" and then let the show goes as normal. Survivor and Bachelor in Paradise: What Survivor game tactics could be brought to this game? What if there was prize money for this? Survivor and Top Chef: What if all Survivor challenges included a food challenge? When contestants have to vote off someone from their tribe, will it be their biggest culinary competitor or will it be someone who is holding the team back? RuPaul's Drag Race and Nailed It: This would delight Nicole Byer and that's reason enough to do it. Real Housewives and Survivor: Each tribe coul...

What do people think of the name a hollet? When I find myself in need of a smiling moment, I look for photos of my nephews smiling up at me from my phone. Their glee is contagious and it seeps through my veins, with warmth that permeates. May they always have such joy. (Prompt by me) Helen Richey 111. Helen Richey Collection Photo. SDASM Archives.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/4835143361/in/photolist-8ngnEH-TrLV28-rcPyGX-TrLCot-TrMfD4-JFne53-2cseAoB-TrM8yc-UFnEB2-6NrBPz-s9ySHz-2dUiaWn-TrLVXr-U6fUB9-4urr2V-UBKrvU-g8N6He-29hiRpP-rxozN1-d325f-RvXUzv-ToUbRQ-2ajZrwt-9LGtgd-27hWSoj-r8ckqS-ToTSfm-2bvF9Di-6Mb7TG-29z4bkn-6NvU2b-oqyACz-27iQDhF-6t8oia-EpSmdG-p6hucd-p2WGBV-EpSkMw-EpSm4o-6VMkXo-T5J6XU-dPLkBa-ToUdtY-hSgGyn-dSKxuP-C3hkhp-EpSkUA-EpSm8w-H8XVnD-EpSkHy

Name suggested by Diana! Sunflowers brighten the room though they begin to droop. But wilted petals are still vibrant enough to light up the very air I breathe. They were given with care, but did she know the magic they have? Or did the care bestow it? (Prompt by me) Photo by Alina Kuptsova .

Still accepting names for this kind of poem. Bumps, scrapes, and scars mar my skin, but they are lovelier than the stretching marks that look like veins of a vine seeping through my skin and taking ahold of my limbs, rendering them useless and hideous in my eyes and those of others, or so I imagine. (Prompt by me) Image posted by the Internet Archive Book Images. Image from page 47 of "Little helpers" (1889).

Anyone have a suggestion for a name for this format? The paste is meant to protect but it clings to my skin, clumping in my folds, highlighting all that I would like to hide. But they say if I do not smear the paste all over me, my fate will be far worse, so pass me the paste bottle. (Prompt by me) Image posted by Internet Archive Book Images. Image from page 548 of "St. Nicholas [serial]" (1873).

So this is kind of going to be like a nonet in that there is a pattern of number of syllables. But it will go from 7 per line down to 1 and then back up to 7. Let's see how this goes! Your voice is sad and tinny yet you say you are well. Does she hear it too? Or does she care? Perhaps your words are true and calm or perhaps they are improved from what they once were. I'm meant to be grateful I think as I end the call. (Prompt by me) Image posted by Internet Archive Book Images. Image from page 632 of "Building & engineering news" (1914).

Is anyone liking my poetry attempts? I have reached the edge of the known world. Now I wait for more to render so that I can adventure to wondrous new spaces that no eyes have seen, documented, or passed some judgement on. Children should not be their parents. Aching is all I've ever known. (Prompt by me) Image from the Internet Archive Book Images. https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14780086613/

Still trying my hand at this. Nothing is all I can think. Where, oh where, have I gone? It's odd, isn't it, how a bright day can turn dark, when nothing has changed? How can such small things enforce such sway over me? Will they choose to help? I look around me and see the familiar, but it is all strange. (Prompt by me) Image by Simplelcon.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simpleicons_Business_pen-on-square-of-paper-interface-symbol.svg

I made a 15 line version of a nonet (someone with more Latin experience, please tell me what I should call it). I hide myself away out in the wide open and foggy air. Amid the mist and the breeze, I can finally inhale deeply enough to coat my lungs and dampen my face with something that could be anyone's, not just mine. What belongs to me no longer brings me joy, although the outside world may not either, but at least it has some novelty and does not think to stare at me. If new eyes do think to judge, they will never know me, never speak my name, never look for me. And that brings me peace. (Prompt by me) Photo by Mushki Brichta.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%A3,_%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%94_%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%95.jpg

These are starting to come to me throughout the day. How old can I be? I'm too pimply for old age, but too young for grays. Nothing renders me as horror-struck as eight legs scuttling. You're alone. Or so I hope. Rosy mounds pucker across my flesh. Roses and lilacs only smell of lovely days when you've lived such days. (Prompt by me) Photo by Chris Wightman.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:All%27s_well_that_inks_well.jpg

Who cares about the breakdown of what kind of poem I'm writing, right? Nothing is as odd as exchanging looks with men that you thought you knew. I knew you, my whisper echoed. Your eyes show their depth, but it's not proud nor profound. It's a torn abyss. What a touching thing to witness a rare moment and know you'll forget. Fictional people, though formed through thoughts and tales, are deeply tangible. (Prompt by me) Photo by Pete O'Shea.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Writing_Tools_-_paper_pen_laptop.jpg

Hey all, please know that these are pretty much all silly comments because I honestly think the few big take aways I had are so far from unique. But I'm happy to talk about those with anyone who is interested. Hell yeah Andrew Yang, your plan will pay off most of my loan...huh...almost seems like it doesn't fix my problems... The sound was slightly off and that was so distracting. Why did three candidates miss the blue memo? Some of the candidates must have had like stepping stools, right? I know I saw Klobuchar's... Biden and Yang got away without wearing wedding rings ( see my rambling Buzzfeed post about this ). Klobuchar had clearly practiced some lines ("While Bernie wrote the bill, I read the bill."). Yang's shirt is too tight...that top button was struggling. You're rich dude, get that tailored. Castro is going to catch so much flak for going after Biden. God I hate it when people don't just answer the question they were asked. Sayin...

Dang, I really meant to do this yesterday so that it would end up being the final post in a year, but the day got away from me. I can't believe I've been doing a blog for a whole year and haven't bailed. It's honestly something I wasn't sure would happen. Anyways, here are some reflections on the year. It is important that I keep writing. I know I have missed some days and have done plenty of listicles, but if I didn't do something that day, I knew I'd get out of the habit. One speaker in  my program said that you should do writing in a way that allows you to do it every day and that's what I've been doing. Listicles are pretty fun to write...maybe I should work for Buzzfeed... I can write for 15 minutes about a crazy amount of stuff. I've said no to very few prompts and, because of this, I've written some absolutely insane stuff (see: the post about all sheep share the same pair of eyes). I enjoy writing my thoughts about movies and TV...

Back to trying my hand at poetry! Avoiding mirrors and reflections has become first nature for me. I pray my face won't be seen. Have you even noticed? Did you notice how my faux smile was plastered tight? Did you? No. Farewell is something I'll never say. I wish you would go, not vanish or perish, but leave by sunny path. (Prompt by me) Image source

When my brother was a baby, my mom did a series of interviews with her dad about his life in what is now Ukraine (but while he was there, it was Russia) and his journey to the US. We watched part of it tonight and here are some things I learned. As a warning, some of these are quite rough to read because of violence, antisemitism, and extreme poverty. There was a different Soviet calendar. In that calendar, my grandpa's birthday was May 1st, but in our calendar it is May 14th. He did not have any formal schooling before coming to the US, but did learn to read and write. His brother, at one point, gave him a translation of Uncle Tom's Cabin . His father left for the US when he was only two, but he has a memory of his father and his friends playing catch with coins over him. One of the coins then got lodged in his throat and his father had to pound hard on his back to keep him from choking on it. There was an army that supposedly killed Jews on site. When his maternal gr...

Got hit with a pillow for snoring Drank delicious dark mochas Got ramen with a beloved friend Told a Lyft driver Chicago fun facts Waved from inside of a dress Became somewhat obsessed with a photo of a friend as a terrifying clown Made it through a toast with minimal messing it up Found a home for a House on the Rock platter and coasters Planned wedding dress action shots Decided there should be a Shrek-themed vow renewal Discussed having a wedding themed D&D campaign in a year Used a safety pin I found on the inside of my dress Showed off my singular card trick Signed a ketubah (and was honored to do so) Got to tell a dear friend how much it meant to me to be a part of her wedding (Prompt by me)

Pressure builds within but won't exit. Animals don't with they were us. Rose-tinted goggles protect my sensitive eyes. Stars seem brighter in the dark. Deaths come in trios, or so superstition says. Will the third be soon? (Prompt by me) Image source

Gonna keep doing these for a bit. Joy and happiness can be given with a blueberry muffin. Silence following a missed connection from him's a scream, not a hush. Can an olive branch be covered in thorns or mites? For my palm is scarred. Watching his head bob beneath the waves, trying not to drown. Crumbles tumble down and hide away. (Prompt by me) Image source

It's hard for me to think of how to do poetry without a structure. If any one has other structure ideas, let me know. Open and dark spaces are good for getting away from everything, but they obscure and don't fix what you came to hide from. Shadows will fade away and all will arise. But then, at least, it's all out in the air. There's a best version of me? Someone is out there, peering through the fog and clouds, looking for your light. (Prompt by me) Image source

Still enjoying these forms. Peanut butter toast reminds me of my childhood, bringing me a smile. Roses and lilacs are lovely to look upon and soft to the touch. Sand between my toes squishes out and spills over, at first calm, then rough. Words carry the weight of history. Slumber does not come for all. (Prompt by me) Photo source

Still 15 lines of poetry if you count it up. Supplements can aid or greatly harm. No words will mark your passing. Freckles try to protect your skin. Wax only takes shape after its first form burns, melts. But you are not wax. If scales could protect, then seal every inch of me, let no more harm come. (Prompt by me) "The meaning of this Haiku Monument , " “Come spring as of old when such revenues of rice Braced this Castle Town!”" is. This stone monument is recognized as one of the symbols of Matsuyama-City, located North-West of the Matsuyama Station(Ehime,JAPAN)." Photo by Jyo81 (ja: User).  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shiki_Masaoka_stone_monument_is_recognized_as_one_of_the_symbols_of_Matsuyama-City.JPG

I hope someone is liking my attempts at poetry. Sirens harmonize into one, reverberating knell. Ill is such a small word. My body needs so much help. Picking and removing gives such pleasure. Humidity thickens what we think thin. (Prompt by me) Image source

I had an awesome Labor Day weekend trip to Galena. Here are some things I did. Baked tasty chocolate chip cookies Ate my first s'mores in years Looked at a ton of stars Workshopped different versions of flashlight freeze tag Ended up crammed in a bathroom with a bunch of people during sardines Went kayaking Decided I needed to kayak more Got into a very playfully contentious game of Catan Revealed my deep fear of spiders Played games in a lovely pool Tried apple wine Had my hair whipped around in a convertible Found root beer with a werewolf on its label Discovered too many people I knew hadn't seen Bend it Like Beckham Saw three turtles (Prompt by me)