Fireflies in the night
Playful magic flight with stars
Shimmer in summer
– Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge #97. Word prompts were “Magic” & “Glimmering” or synonyms of those. Photo by Mike Lewinski.
A Date With A Dragon
He snorted; followed by a deep rumble that seemed like laughter.
The dragon was too slow. It made no sense. The rumors were that he was fierce and merciless and had burned villages to the ground. This couldn’t be the same dragon. But, there was no other.
He curled his body around a pillar near the back, but his neck stretched out toward the cave opening. The map was inaccurate, and I stumbled over his elongated face.
Startled awake, he lifted his head and rammed it into the top of his den causing boulders to fall. I jumped aside, and they filled the entryway leaving us in pitch dark and me with no escape.
He saw me easily in the darkness as I cowered against a wall. I heard him moving about, but could see nothing. I was afraid.
He wheezed, and coughed, then spoke. “Look what you’ve done!” He snapped with an ancient voice followed by another cough.
“Whyyy dooon’t yoou alll juust leeeavee mee aloooone?” He asked each word stretching with extra syllables, and he slowly dropped his head back to the cave floor causing the boulders to shake.
He breathed a long heavy sigh stirring up more dust, and a rush of hot air hit my face.
Despite his size, after hearing him speak, I was more puzzled than afraid. I lit the torch that I carried and saw his aged, weathered face. He was beautiful with shimmering green and purple scales and deep ruby red eyes that glinted in my torchlight.
“Heh…hello,” I stammered.
“Did the King’s Guard send you!?” He asked, irritated.
“Yes,” I answered.
He snorted; followed by a deep rumble that seemed like laughter. He slowly rose to tower above me. He was bigger than I imagined and I shivered involuntarily.
“You’ve been pranked, boy!” He rumbled again. “I wish you hadn’t startled me, though. Now I have a mess to clean up.”
This was perplexing. “I…I don’t understand.”
“I am 2oo years old, I have no treasure, and I have no captive princess or whatever they told you. You have been initiated into the King’s Guard, and now they will be entertained at your expense.”
He took a deep breath, and I watched his belly expand. He exhaled red-hot flames onto the rocks that blocked the cave entrance. They melted into a puddle in front of my eyes. I thought my armor might also melt just as he ceased.
“In a moment, this will harden, and you can pass. Please don’t return! I don’t like unexpected guests.”
I scratched my head and tried to grasp what he was saying.
They tricked me. They pranked me. The King’s Guard is supposed to be an exclusive, respectable institution. They are nothing more than adolescents! I walked over the hardened rock, threw my torch down, and kicked the dirt. They’d really punk’d me good.
– Written for Cracked Flash: Year 1, Week 41, First sentence prompt was “The dragon was too slow.” WC 469. I went over word count and missed the deadline, but thought I would share anyway. Photo from PublicDomainPictures.net.
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Contingency Plan
I felt his condescension heavy in the confessional.
I stopped at Sacred Heart again on my way to Ma’s for dinner. I felt the need to confess more often lately.
I kinda had a thing for Ma’s hairdresser, Lorraine. She was sweet as pie and could be feisty as a wet cat. She made me think all domestically, ya know, like settling down and such. Currently, my job wasn’t good for that kinda future.
Father O’Malley knew me since I was a kid. I felt his condescension heavy in the confessional. “Father, forgive me for I have sinned. It has been one week since my last confession.”
It seemed a conflict of interest to tell my sins to a priest whose brother was the mob boss that happened to be my employer, but he said he is bound to no man, only to God.
Once you’re in “The Family,” there’s few ways out that don’t involve a funeral. So, he liked to remind me that I shoulda made better choices in my youth, and doing the right thing was a hard path.
Since getting out required a funeral, I was glad O’Malley wasn’t bound to any man as I confessed my latest sin. I felt kinda guilty telling him that his brother was now swimming with the fishes.
– Written for Microcosms 20 weekly contest. Related to Classic Books with prompts Gangster/Confessions/Romance. WC 210. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. “Contingency Plan” won Judge’s Pick in this contest.
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My Childhood Curfew
Shadows elongate in the setting sun and reach for me by moonlight. I narrowly outrun their gangling arms thrashing wildly, as the porch light illuminates my escape.
– Written for The Daily Post, daily prompt “shadow.” WC 27. Photo from Pixabay.com.
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Spring’s Ambassador
The sight of your unfurling leaves
Many shades of green
And newborn buds beginning to form
Is a bittersweet welcome to Spring
You bow your boughs
In the breeze waving a forgiving farewell
To the last remnants of a harsh winter
And instinctively stretch your enduring limbs
Toward the warm nourishing sun
It’s your time to follow through
With your seasonal obligations
You flourish center stage
And carry out your devoir with pride
As you excitedly cast your pollen on the wind
A choir of sneezes applauds your performance
And bid a bittersweet welcome to Spring
– Written for WordPress Blogging University, Intro to Poetry, Day 9: Landscape, Apostrophe. Photo from PublicDomainPictures.net.
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Serendipity
As luck would have it, I cadged the vaccine before I was bitten.
– Written for Grammar Ghoul Press Shapeshifting 13 #53. Word prompt was “cadge.” WC 13. Photo by Vinicius Munhoz. “Serendipity” was awarded 2nd place in this contest.
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The Sweet Spot
Unholy Night
Of Love And Other Demons
And Still I Rise
Out Of The Night
Existing Solutions
Choices
Between Friends
The Prisoner Of Heaven
Whispers
Out Of Time
Just Say Yes
Love Wins
A Room Of One’s Own
A Life Of One’s Own
The Sweet Spot
– Written for WordPress Blogging University, Intro to Poetry, Day 7: Flavor, Found poetry: Book Spine Poetry. Photo is of some of my books.
Leara writes and other creative things... 