Snippets, four

Here are some short pieces based on things that have happened in my life recently.

Aloe

What, what, what have I done to my aloe? I got it so vibrant and virile and now it is wilting (if you can imagine an aloe wilting) and turning brown. Perhaps I have given it too much water? Perhaps too much sun? I am striving to get more into plants but I am failing it feels. I shall keep it in the sun, but water it less and hope for the best. Please don't judge my love of plants but my failure at keeping them alive.

Alpacas

Here I was again, with alpacas. Now this has only happened twice that I remember, but alpacas hold a dear place in my heart so each visit seems filled with significance. The first time I got to touch an alpaca, something stirred in my heart that had been still for so long and, for that, I'll be forever grateful to these fluffy, adorable creatures. This visit didn't give me the same revelation as the previous one, but the alpacas' large eyes still drew me in, making me smile and even giggle. I have never shared before that it was alpacas that reawakened my heart after its long slumber, but for those who wonder why they're my second favorite animal, that is truly why.

Apple?

Is this fruit snack apple flavored? It doesn't really seem like it, but it looks like an apple. Though perhaps the medium of gummy fruit snack is not precise enough for me to be able to tell one orb from another. This one seemed really well defined though. So well defined in fact that I waited to eat it til the last round. Now I say last round because I eat these fruit snacks one by one, starting with the multiples and then eating the ones with multiples first, alternating between them until there is only one of each flavor left. As I type this, I feel like you're going to think I'm weird or at least eat all things in such an organized or compulsive manner, but I don't. Perhaps I do it because what else am I going to do? Perhaps I do it to enforce some order on it. Perhaps I just do it because I'm bored. Either way, I still don't know if this one was apple flavored.

Street Festival

What makes a street festival? What theme did this one have? It was called Midsommar, but other than the timing, I couldn't see the theme. We saw so many fun, quirky, and interesting tents. I got a s'mores churro, but I also could've had funnel cake or mango sticky rice. We stopped at a speech pathologist's table, but could just as easily gotten information on how to comprehensively plan our funerals. There were tit candles for sale, but also CBD treats for dogs. While the theme remained elusive, the spirit of the day was certainly festive.

Submissions

It has been so long since I submitted a piece for publication and yet it was my goal for the year to get something published. How can I expect to do one without the other? Perhaps I'm waiting for a piece that feels worthy, that feels deep enough, but perhaps I should just submit, submit, submit and something will stick. I did submit a piece recently, but I don't have high hopes for it. I like the piece, but it may not fit the theme particularly well and it may not be of the quality they're looking for. If you're curious, it's "Siren's Song," which I published on here, but, after all, it's not like I reach a huge audience here. Are there pieces I've done that you think are worthy of submitting somewhere? If so, please let me know! I'll try to submit, submit, submit.

Swiping

To the left, to the left, every trash profile in the ether to the left. If you have not been on the apps, you would be shocked at how many men think their photos will be enough to carry them to a right swipe. Men (although I'm sure women too), put in just like a smidge of effort. Just a smidge! Now, once you put in that smidge, please have someone edit. I don't mean looking for grammatical errors (though given my job, I do notice these). No, I mean have someone of the gender you're trying to woo look over your words and provide a serious answer as to whether they'd be intrigued. I don't mean to pretend to be someone you're not (after all, if you're broccoli, there is no point in trying to be ice cream--besides, there are people who like broccoli and you want to find them!). I mean accurately present yourself. Although, I suppose some of the trash profiles are accurate representations of the men who made them, but sometimes I think (or, perhaps, hope) that they're just trying to make jokes that are seriously not landing. For all those about to swipe, I salute you.

(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)