writersworkshopbes.myfastforum.org

Merri · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:48 am Post subject: Challenge

Something I like is a little challenge, like writing a short piece that has to contain certain words. Anybody else?

See what you can do with

Dance
Wavelets
Regret
Boxes

Cool

.

Twiggy · Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Australia

“I’m not going back!” He spoke with such energy that his conviction passed instantly into the mind of the seal, gazing at him from the water’s edge. What returned to him was the adamant power of yes, you must. And he knew it was true. He had to go back.

He turned and walked back into the empty ball room, that place that had been a paradise of dance for male and female alike. All of his few belongings were here - Annie’s had been collected by her family and the flat relinquished.. Gazing out the window of the Phoenix at the beach, he remembered the night they had come, he and his brothers.
It was just such a scene as this – the moon was silver, the night warm and still, truly a night made for passion – as they came up on to the beach.

He remembered hearing the music from the Phoenix, and that he had been entranced, going closer in spite of his brothers’ warnings. He remembered Annie coming out alone from her father’s ballroom, to walk on the beach, and his brothers fleeing.

He had adjusted to life here, and now it was time to adjust his attitudes again. With a sigh he turned back to the cardboard boxes. Opening one, he pulled out a black fur coat, and quickly changed into it, his discarded clothes going into the carton. With a black marker he wrote SALVATION ARMY clearly on each box, and sealed them with tape.

Leaving the door unlatched as he left, he had a moment of regret that this was the end of the Phoenix. But only a moment - it didn’t really matter. He stepped into the wavelets, then flung himself down and rolled into the water. There was a joyous bark from the seal on the beach, and he came to her on his flippers. The moon was silver, the night warm and still, truly a night made for passion

Merri · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:02 pm Post subject:

(I thought there was an 'applauding' emoticon!) You've worked all the prompts in, and well.

If these prompts stay for this week, would you leave some for week starting 28th?

admin · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject:

Well done! My heart's pounding; I couldn't read the words fast enough.

Twiggy · Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Australia

Thank you, Merri and Min, for your kind words! More prompts?

Deluge
Telephone
Socks
Pie

Twisted Evil

Merri · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:54 am Post subject:

PROMPTS
Deluge
Telephone
Socks
Pie
. . . .

Monday
"I'd give anything for a meat pie", Man Boss said, gazing out across the flooded paddocks. "It's been over a month we've been marooned here."

"There are still some tins of spaghetti left in the cupboard," Woman Boss replied. "We're lucky we were so well stocked up on food before this deluge set in."

"Spaghetti! I'm sick to death of it! Just serve me up some of the dog biscuits, why don't you."

Oh, no! I need all the nourishment I can get. Apparently Woman Boss felt the same.

"You leave Socks' food alone. She's eating for two. Or six perhaps."

I don't know what she's talking about, I just know I'm very uncomfortable, and I want to settle somewhere safe and quiet. But I'm glad of her support. She's the kind one, she'd never do anything to hurt me.

. . .
Tuesday.
Well I'm glad that's over. What a wonderful thing to happen! Eight little creatures came out of me, my very own children. Man Boss and Woman Boss are looking after me so well, he's getting to be as kind as she is.

. . .
Thursday.
"Whenever are we going to be able to get out of here?" Boss Woman said. "Even the telephone isn't working yet, and the batteries on the radio are flat now."

It doesn't worry me. I have my dog biscuits and my children.

. . .
Saturday.
Something's terribly wrong. I know I can't count very well, but I do know my own children. Some are missing! I feel terrible. There's nowhere to look that I haven't already, and if they can be found Boss Man and Boss Woman will rescue them.

. . .
Sunday.
They're sitting at the table after dinner. I think they had plain boiled rice. I know the last tins were used up.

"Well" says Man Boss, "thanks Mum, you are a really good cook. Best meat pie I've had in ages."

Now perhaps he'll go and rescue my children.

Twiggy · Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Australia

ooh, that's dark! And I hope we're not going to get that much rain! But all the prompts fitted in seamlessly. I was wondering how they could be linked. Will you post some more prompts?

Merri · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 10:49 pm Post subject:

Moonlight
children
chocolate
terrible

Twiggy · Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Australia

Moonlight drains
all colour from clothes
and faces.
Images ebb
from children's minds.

Calling to them,
come in now,
come inside,
for warm cocoa and bed.

Rich milk-brown images
drain
from children's minds,
leaving the cold,
the bitter, the dark.

Call to them,
call them away
from the terrible moon.

.

Merri · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:08 pm Post subject:

Great!

Not what I would have expected from those prompts. And was it chance, or did you mean to have all those C sounds? Colour, clothes, calling, come, cocoa, cold, call? I liked the contrast of the rich warm brown cocoa with all the connotations of comfort, and the cold discomfiture of the rest of the poem. Smile

Oops! Now I'm doing the C bit! Embarassed