Aditus

Yes!

This must have been the motto last week. I saw colleagues wearing colorful lounge pants or skirts to work, who would have denied even owning such clothes the day before. The boss man walked around in shorts and Birkenstocks. And don’t forget the guy in the loose linen shirt, wide-brimmed hat, and dark shades. All I say is… You Can Leave Your Hat On. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdwIKTLP_3Q Ehem… To the prompts. PT Prompt #348 Someone sits in a café off a crowded street with a friend. Both love to watch people. It’s a hot, hot day. Write about their conversation and the people they see. PT Prompt #349 List of words: A gust of wind, a wide-brimmed hat, Joe Cocker’s song You Can Leave Your Hat On, a running man, a beach towel, a barking dog, a motorcycle, and a rose tattoo. Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

That's exactly what I wanted! Thank you, Bill.

Yes, the game you call soccer is football to me.😛 And of course I'm cheering for my team. I'm happy the Canadian and American soccer teams won their games, too, as alien as it might be for you guys. I watch basketball too, especially when my team wins the World Cup. Then there's handball (What?) Yeah, yeah, it's a fast sport and very cool, believe me. And don't forget rugby. This was my take on sports talk. I'm going to put my feet into the pool and try to survive this insane heat .

Ooookay, I suppose you packed a shotgun? Someone shows murderous tendencies. Again.

When Val posted the pic of the overflowing suitcase a couple of weeks ago, I remembered a game we played in the car when we were kids. Some of you might know it. In Germany, it’s called I pack my suitcase. How about we play the game this week? I’ll start by packing my suitcase and grab my favorite hat. You pack your stuff in the comments, choose things as outrageous as you want. PT Prompt #344 Someone picks up their suitcase; it opens, and everything inside spills onto the hotel lobby floor. Choose from the suggested items in the comment section. PT Prompt #345 It’s still World Cup time, which means you can pack souvenirs to take home, not the boring stuff; be inventive. Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

They played this song on the radio while I was driving to work. It made me think. Is anyone but me still listening to the radio, or do you prefer to stream your favorite playlists, podcasts, or audiobooks? I like the radio in the morning. I catch up on the news, good or bad, and the local weather report, and I get to hear new or very old songs. This week's prompts have been inspired by the aforementioned song. PT Prompt #340 You or your main character are/is waiting by a red light. It’s hot and sunny, and the convertible behind is loudly blaring Dara’s Bangaranga. PT Prompt #341 So, it’s the 2026 World Cup. Is anyone interested in soccer games? Normal people can’t afford to watch the games live in the stadiums, I’m told. To stay with the radio theme. Two friends are going on a road trip. One is a huge Soccer fan who loves the official World Cup song, Dai Dai, and is listening to Shakira, singing along and shaking their butt the entire time, be it behind the wheel or on the passenger seat. Do they reach their destination together?LOL Did my videos the radio star? Or motive the plot bunnies? Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Thank you for considering my series. I'm soooo curious about your thoughts.

No gas for me, I have an e-car. I'm refueling at home. If you want to compare, I pay 6,40€ per 100km.

As always with your poems, I could see everything, feel everything. Life is moving forward, though, there is no way back for a do-over. All this formed you into the man you are now. There are great accomplishments, too. Right? Besides your wonderful poems and storytelling, being a good friend, etc... The list is probably endless.

Every word counts, so do these.

Your poems rang a string, a guitar's, or a piano's, *shrugs*, deeply hidden; sometimes I'm ashamed of it, but hey, only we know about it, huh?

Second batch, I'm curious.

These two are very me, so I loved to read this.

I looked for an explanatory article for you guys, so you'd know why I wrote the admittedly very short poem. I already knew why they changed the lyrics.

of course. 😁

I don't know how many times I wrote poems about birds, especially herons; their patience fascinates me. I'm glad the poem resonated with you.❤️.

Haha, one day maybe?😺 So glad you liked this one. It took ages to get it right. Thank you for reading my poems and sharing your thoughts.❤️

Haha, you could say that, just adapted for a jester. I loved this phrase. Yes, Düsseldorf is lucky to have him. Thank you. I was always moved when I heard the song, and was sad when I couldn't listen to it anymore. I was so glad when I heard the new version. And yes, since summers are getting hotter and the sun is intense, more and more people use them. Thank you, Gary, for reading, reacting, commenting, and reviewing my poems.❤️

Pictures and questions that let me stare unseeingly, letting imagination fly, and looking for answers that just might not have to be answered. Thank you.

There are a few things that caught my eye, made me linger: our choices are quiet coming in moments we could ignore I really liked this. And of course: Clarity arrives in white space not as absence, but as room to breathe. On the other side: there is no too much garlic. I have Italian genes somewhere. If I cook, there's garlic. lol If he doesn't want it, the dragon has to cook. Thanks, for these, tim.

You're very welcome. Thank you for reading my poems and commenting on them, tim.

Hi zakynthos. Did you read the linked The Guardian article? I hoped it explained my motivation to write this poem. I loved Wind of Change but didn't want to listen to it anymore because, as Claus Meine, the Scorpions' lead singer and the song's author, said, it romanticized Russia. He wrote the song under the impression of 'perestroika', which expressed his hopes for a peaceful coexistence and friendship with Russia. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this hope was destroyed, and he changed the lyrics, which I thought was very brave. Not every fan agreed with him. Thank you for reading my poems and commenting.

Thank you to everyone involved for making the poetry anthology possible, even though the number of readers is probably small.

#1 Ode to Red Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature; your progenitors arrived on the settlers' boats. Today you sport toe and ear tufts as well as thick, long coats; you were perfectly formed by harsh climates and nature. When you sink your claws tenderly into my belly, and your infectious purr vibrates throughout the entire room, it easily expels hopelessness and gloom; I choose stings over the horrid news on the telly. The poem wa