FSF - Shadows, plus Carpe Diem - Story Teller

SHADOWS

The damned thing is still following me.

All morning, throughout the day, even at sunset - especially at sunset - sticking to me like a tail pinned on a donkey.

Silent, always so silent, and moving more stealthily than I ever could.

No doubt it's even a better dancer than I, no matter how hard I stomp on it.

So resolute, it never leaves me alone  .  .  .  until I turn off the lights.

~:~:~

mine hides behind me

of the light but not in it

leaves me in darkness

~:~:~

Here's a bonus at no extra charge - a poem my granddaughter Alexa wrote two years ago when she was in the 5th grade.


    SHADOWS

With a shadow by your side
You'll never be alone,
Even down the emptiest street
Of a deserted town,
Down a long, twisted road
Both of you walk together,
With haunting memories
Following close behind,
Ghosts of memories
That will never leave your side.

© 2011 by Alexa

Carpe Diem #181

Carpe Diem #180, Chocolate (provided by KZ)

Image Found Here

 

~ 1 ~

aztec beverage
delight for their vicious gods
laced with hot pepper

~ 2 ~

dark chocolate
perfect coat for blueberries
and almonds

~ 3 ~

dark chocolate
gives a sensuous buzz
better than kissing

~ 4 ~

sweet lips so tasty
from chocolate indulgence
i want your kisses

~ 5 ~

delicate goose sips
moose dives in head first
he's already brown

~ 6 ~

helpful spiders
don't eat chocolate - they eat
pests on cacao trees

=========

Carpe Diem #180

Carpe Diem #179, Full Pink Moon (the full moon of April)

Image found here

~ 1 ~

flocks of pink phlox

something to moon over

under starlight

~ 2 ~

the full pink moon

peeks behind taffeta clouds

blushing maiden

~ 3 ~

spring moon soft and pink

but with time it gets so old

all green and wrinkled

~ 4 ~

under the april moon

goose glows in a cheery pink

moose is still dark brown

~ 5 ~

in the pink moonlight

orb weaver's delicate web

still a deadly trap

~~~~~~~

Carpe Diem #179

Wednesday, April 23, 2013 Ed Sessna

Cross posted at the LA Times Crossword Corner

Theme: TWO CUBED.  Or is that a CRAZY idea? Three theme answers contain anagrams of the word EIGHT, straddling two words of the answer.  In crossword jargon, such mixing up of letters can be clued as CRAZY, so, CRAZY or not, this is a good, solid theme.

17 A. Michael Jackson memorabilia : WHITE GLOVES.  Everyone needs a trademark.

28 A. Line-drawing tool : STRAIGHT EDGE.  Here is a three-sided one.   Also doubles as a ruler. 

45. Conversational skill : THE GIFT OF GAB.  The ability to talk at any length on any topic with no preparation.  My grandson Ryan has this gift - he can make friends in the line at the grocery store.  The other theme answers have two words, this one has four = two squared.

And the unifier.   61A. Uno ancestor, and, in a way, what are hidden in 17-, 28- and 45-Across : CRAZY EIGHTS.  Uno is game played with a special, and quite colorful deck.  I must have played CRAZY EIGHTS as a kid, but don't remember anything about it.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to guide you on this colorful flight through some great and possibly crazy eights.

Carpe Diem #177, Coffee (provided by Cathy)

Single cup coffee maker image found here

~ 1 ~

some can't handle truth

the thing i can't handle

is caffeine

~ 2 ~

brewed by the k-cup

regular for my sweet wife

decaf for me

~ 3 ~

old man sips coffee

hopes for warmth and energy

in all of his bones

~ 4 ~

moose and goose

nibble on coffee berries

now both are flying

~ 5 ~

spider weaves her web

in an empty coffee can

why would flies go there

~~~::~~~

Carpe Diem #177

Carpe Diem #174, Whisper (provided by Cathy)

~ 1 ~

baby whispering

nestled at her mother's breast

a message of love

 ~ 2 ~

i do not whisper

of my love for you my dear

but sing to the world

~ 3 ~

don't tell the old man

in a whisper if you want

him to hear you

 ~ 4 ~

moose and goose

listen with their hearts stilled

when the wind whispers

 ~ 5 ~

whispering wind

vibrates all the web strands

spider is not fooled

~~:~~:~~

Carpe Diem #174

Carpe Diem's Treasure

In response to some flash fiction memes, a wrote a few little vignettes last fall and winter that started to flow together into what could possibly become a coherent narrative.  I started appending a haiku or senryu to capture the essence of each story in miniature, not realizing I was reinventing the haibun.

I grew very fond of the characters, but, in the press of other things, haven't done anything with them lately.  [And, really, have no clear idea what to do with them.] The central character, Marci, is a free-spirited young lady who has had some other-worldly experiences, sometimes without even leaving her bedroom.  One such is described here, and it also provided my inspirational haiku.  I'm choosing it because I find it especially pleasing, and because of the connection to my character, Marci.

Mystery woman
Product of moonbeams and dreams
What is your message

inspired haiku

she comes at night

to tell me things of myself

that I never knew

Maybe these are senryu, not haiku, or perhaps neither.  But that level of scrutiny seems excessive, and not in the spirit of the challenge.

Carpe Diem's Treasure

Carpe Diem #173, Threnody (provided by Mark M. Redfearn)

 THRENODY

~ 1 ~

voices raised
for those who can no longer
raise themselves

~ 2 ~

sometimes
even the survivors will 

never walk again

~ 3 ~

i search
for answers but only find
more questions
 
~ 4 ~

in the desert
on the mountain / by the lake
one small flower

~~~:~~~

Carpe Diem #173

Carpe Diem #32, Chèvrefeuille's 'lonely flower'

Lonely Flower Found Here

Inspiration

odoku na watashino nakamano tsu no yoruno hana

lonely flower
my companion
for one night

~:~:~

My humble offerings

~ 1 ~
 
after just one night
in the flower's company
i'm the lonely one

~ 2 ~

first flower of spring
with luck you won't be lonesome
for very long
 
~ 3 ~

which kind of flower
the bloom of a growing plant
or river water*

~ 4 ~

one lonely flower
is that not enough to please
an old man

~ 5 ~

first lonely flower
hopeful sign for moose and goose
that spring is coming
 
~ 6 ~

first lonely flower
draws a single lonely fly
to the spider's web

()

___\|/___

* sorry - old crossword puzzle trick
flow-er = a thing that flows

Carpe Diem #32

Carpe Diem #172, Small Mountain (provided by YerPirate)

Pencil drawing by Jon Ray

~ 1 ~

volcanic action
tectonics or erosion
whence thou small mountain

~ 2 ~

small mountain
old man leans hard
on his walking stick

~ 3 ~

the view
of a pair of small mountains
delightful
 

~ 4 ~

goose can fly
over a small mountain
moose takes the low road

~ 5 ~

in a small bush
on a little mountain
tiny spider web

 ^

     /*\    

Carpe Diem #172

Carpe Diem #171, Pisces (The Fishes) (Zodiac 12)

Image found here

~ 1 ~

venus and cupid
escape from monster typhon
mythical fish tails

~ 2 ~

stars in the night sky
patterns to control our lives
sounds fishy to me

~ 3 ~

lazy old man
has no more ambition
just loafs and fishes

~ 4 ~

moose and goose
share time in the water
with the fish

~ 5 ~

dolomedes
with clawed legs walks on water
and will eat small fish

~~~??~~~

Carpe Diem #171

 

Carpe Diem #170, Aquarius (The Waterbearer) (Zodiac 11)

Image found here

~ 1 ~

ganymede
favorite of Zeus
carries his water

~ 2 ~

aquarius
share your rains and rivers
with thirsty man

~ 3 ~

thirsty old man
wishes for more than water
in his cups

~ 4 ~

moose and goose
both can be very happy
in the water

~ 5 ~

saturn rules spiders
aquarius rules mankind
who rules spiderman

~~~~~~~

Carpe Diem #170

Flash 55 - aGoT

A GAME OF THRONES in 55 words.

White Walkers!

Gared loses his head.
 
Wolves for Starks.
 
Robert Hands it to Ned
 
Bran flies.
 
Jon: his back to the wall.
 
Don’t trust Baelish
 
Catelyn, Dwarf, Lysa, Brat.
 
Imp, Bronn, Mountain men
 
Daenerys loses everything
 
Robert gets boared
 
Ned loses his head
 
Arya escapes, Sansa doesn’t
 
Displaced queen cum Kaleesi has hot time.
 
Dragons!



For this week's FF 55 entries
visit The G-Man

Six Word Saturday

Worst
Cold I've
Had in YEARS!

Carpe Diem #169, Capricorn (The Sea Goat) (Zodiac 10)

~ 1 ~

pity sad pricus

no matter how hard he tries

time will get his goats

~ 2 ~

goat-fish in the sky

with horns and dorsal fin

scaling the heights

~ 3 ~

look up in the sky

it's a goat - it's a fish

it's superstition

 ~ 4 ~

goose says to moose

there is something fishy

about that goat

~ 5 ~

huge huntsman spider

capricorn cave denizen

scary for campers

~~~(:)~~~

Carpe Diem #169

100 WCGU -- Week 84

Amazing -- first draft weighs in at EXACTLY 105 words!

Picture found here

My father, never a fearful man, was terrified that I’d get some girl “in trouble.”

Shy, socially awkward me – what a joke.

There was a girl I had my eye on, Jenny: slender, dark-haired, cute, but not the type other guys would notice.

But she was shy, too.

Not so Sheila.  I don’t know what drew her to me.  Maybe it was the challenge.

She took me for a walk in the woods, a quiet place where we were utterly alone.

She knew what to do and how to do it, and as the line was crossed, I knew I’d never be quite the same.

 ~~~\|/~~~

100 Word Challenge – Week#84

Five Sentence Fiction - EDGE

EDGE

Metal Sculpture - Onaway, MI - Photo by JzB

It came at me snarling, teeth bared.

I recoiled at the stench - burned meat, sewage, old ashes, sulphur.

So it took me for a craven and reared high above me for the kill.

There is always a soft spot somewhere on a dragon's belly, if you are lucky enough find it.

As my blade pierced it's tender flesh, the scream it let loose was an even worse assault on the senses than the smell.

Carpe Diem #168, Sagittarius (The Archer) (Zodiac 9)

My sign -- Picture found Here

~ 1 ~

chiron or crotus
more confused mythology
is the arrow true

~ 2 ~

naive straight shooter
often blunt with people who
can't handle the truth

~ 3 ~

old man remembers
harsh words spoken in haste
they can't be undone

~ 4 ~

moose and goose don't fear
words of sagittarius
only his arrows

~ 5 ~

like an archer
spider pierces her victim
with a fatal sting

 ^  

~~~||~~~ 

 

Carpe Diem #168

Carpe Diem Special #31, Chèvrefeuille's 'the scent of Autumn'

 Autumn in Michigan - Pic by JzB

Inspirational Haiku

aki no kaori hiisu no ue ni mangetsuno hikarino nakawo aruku

walking on the heath
in the light of the full moon
the scent of autumn


My humble offerings

~ 1 ~

old man sniffs and smells

wood smoke apples pumpkin spice

winter is coming

 ~ 2 ~

autumn aromas

tell goose it's time to migrate

moose is now forlorn

~ 3 ~

scent of autumn tells

insects to over-winter

spider sits and waits

~:~:~:~:~

Carpe Diem Special #31

Haiku Heights

April A2Z Heights - Day 10 - Incense

all these funerals

spirits voices smoke rising

i tire of incense

~~~(:)~~~

Seven funerals or memorial services in eight months

Too many sad times

Carpe Diem #167, Scorpio (The Scorpion) (Zodiac 8)

 

Image found here

~ 1 ~

ruled by mars
according to tradition
battled the hunter

~ 2 ~

orion's bane
sent by earth mother to teach
man humility
 

~ 3 ~

death
where is thy sting
on scorpion's tail

~ 4 ~

old man
does not fear the scorpion
stomps it with his heel
 

~ 5 ~

scorpion always
wants to be in control
moose and goose retreat

~ 6 ~

even the spider
is no match for the killer
scorpion

:)~~~~?

 

Carpe Diem #167

Carpe Diem #166, Libra (The Scales) (Zodiac 7)

 

Image found here

~ 1 ~

there are few things as 

unsettled as a libra

out of balance

~ 2 ~

justice should be blind

maybe even deaf and dumb

but not stupid

~ 3 ~

ruled by venus

how do you keep your passions

in balance libra

~ 4 ~

moose and goose

find a balance among

air earth and water

~ 5 ~

libra's balance pan

as good a place as any

for orb weaver's web

~~(:)~~

 

Carpe Diem #166

Five Sentence Fiction

WORDS

Sticks and stones might break my bones, but these can cut all the way to my soul.

When we have them, things aren't going well.

I've heard that one is sufficient, to the wise.
 
Mendelssohn wrote a song without them.
 
You could kiss me to make them stop.

VisDare 14

VisDare 14

Photo Source

I'd had my eye on her for days.   When the time was right, I'd approach her. 

All right - truth to tell, I was working up the nerve.  But today was the day.  I'd boldly walk right up to her, and if things went well, sweep her into my arms.

Finally, I felt ready.  The time was right.  But on this day of all days, as her long strides took her on her way, and I set out to approach her, she had on a leash what must be a new pet.

And it was - of all things - a woman!

Carpe Diem #165, Virgo (The Maiden) (Zodiac 6)

Our granddaughter Amanda is a wonderful dancer and, with her early September birthday, also a Virgo.   She has been accepted to attend a week-long summer intensive program in New York with the Rockettes this summer, finishing off with a performance at Radio City Music Hall.  Here is a video of her as the Sugar Plum Fairy in a local production of the Nutcracker from last December.   Full disclosure: she is my lovely wife's granddaughter - but we do play nicely together and share.

 ~ 1 ~

lovely maiden

dreams of reaching the heights

dancing with the stars

~ 2 ~

old man watches

granddaughter on the stage

shines star-like with pride

~ 3 ~

confusing myths

maiden   wheat   fertility

and mother mary

~ 4 ~

moose and goose

drawn to the maiden's charm

no - wait - unicorns

~ 5 ~

lurking in the midst

of the maiden's sheaf of wheat

a spider

___\|/___

 

Carpe Diem #165

Carpe Diem #164, Leo (The Lion) (Zodiac 5)

Image Source

~ 1 ~

fierce nemean lion
first victim of herakles
skinned with its own claw

~ 2 ~

the sun in leo
of course - the fire within
burns generously

~ 3 ~

i'm the lucky one
beautiful leo lady
shares her life with me

~ 4 ~

under leo's sign
moose and goose pay homage
to the king of beasts

~ 5 ~

when spiders unite
they can tie down a lion*
[only if they're quick]

* Ethiopian proverb

~ : ~ : ~

Carpe Diem #164

Carpe Diem #163, Cancer (Zodiac 4)

Photo Source

~ 1 ~

herakles' foe

hard shell no protection

cast into the stars

~ 2 ~

just the idea

that far off stars rule our lives

makes me quite crabby

~ 3 ~

goose is perplexed

why is her good friend moose

in such a bad mood

~ 4 ~

orb weaver looks up

envying the sky crab

in her web of stars

 ~~~  69  ~~~

Carpe Diem #163

Carpe Diem Special #30, Chèvrefeuille's 'Golden Tree'

Great series of pics with close-ups at this link

root trunk branch leaf bloom
one unit for a lifetime
just like our love

Carpe Diem Special #30

Carpe Diem #162, Gemini (Zodiac 3)

Gemini (Twins)

~ 1 ~
 
great for a fling
always ready for adventure
unfaithful lover

~ 2 ~

mercurial one
ardent in your love today
tomorrow who knows

~ 3 ~

o gemini
why are there two of you
in one body

~ 4 ~

second game
can the tigers take two straight
from the twins*

~ 5 ~


 jamie and cersei
love kept in the family
which one is evil

~ 6 ~

moose and goose
do not look at all alike
but have twin spirits

~ 7 ~

orb weaver meets
her equally hungry twin
which one survives

~~~  II ~~~

* as it turns out -- no, alas 

 ~~~  II ~~~

bonus:
As an afterthought it occurred to me that my mother is a twin,
but she and her sister are taurus not gemini.
They are the last remaining of nine siblings.

mom and her sister
non-identical twins
i got the good one

~~~  II ~~~

Carpe Diem #162

Carpe Diem #161, Taurus (Zodiac 2)

But, but  .  .  .Taurus!

~ 0 ~

look for the taurus

[not always high in the sky]

above a full moon

~ 1 ~

stubborn plodding

taurus has eyes on the prize

but will it get there

~ 2 ~

a constellation

light years away rules one's life

sounds like bull to me

~ 3 ~

venus rules in you

but does your sign oh taurus

make you love a bull

~ 4 ~

moose says to goose

taurus leaves me unimpressed

i too am a bull

~ 5 ~

like a taurus

single minded orb weaver

has eyes on the flies

 ~~~(:)~~~

Carpe Diem #161

Carpe Diem #160, Aries (Zodiac 1)

Aries Tattoo

~ 1 ~

ares and aries

War god and battering ram

clashing in the sky

~ 2 ~

why should I let

a group of far away stars

get my goat

~ 3 ~

aries is ready

for a springtime ritual

will ewe be the one

~ 4 ~

goose high in the sky

blocks moose's view of aries

no antlers to ram

~ 5 ~

orb weaver spins

at the edge of the ram's pen

the sign of aries

~~( : )~~

Carpe Diem #160