mollyhousemouse

oh that was a nice way to spend the time waiting for Daughter after work! can't wait for the next chapter!

still a very entertaining story, and just the lighthearted chuckle i needed tonight Sir linguine in clam sauce sounds like a nice night out...

lately i've been doing a lot of re-reading this one still speaks to me, loudly, and just as clearly as when it was first published the image is still so clear to me thank you again, Sir, for sharing these with us

what a good way to introduce Jack! and as someone who has recurring nightmares, it played so real! waking up screaming, i wake my Husband that way once or twice a month! the way the kids all come together, in the dark, to comfort Richie shows just how connected they are, and i'm a fan of "the laying on of hands" used it often with my kids and Phil uses it regularly with me looking forward to this very much!

i'm sad to say that it wasn't until about a year ago that i, as a reader, truly understood this i always look forward to this blog Carlos, thanks for putting in the time and effort

i make it a point to listen to tim, @Mikiesboy when he suggests stories and again, i am very glad i did! what a brilliant opening! and learning that zombies in your reality can heal themselves??!! looking forward to this journey!

what a great take on the prompt! i've read it a few times now, and each time this line gives me the giggles: I put the phone down. It was a little unsettling that no one would answer my questions. However, I pushed that to the back of my mind. After all, if you can’t trust the government, who can you trust? thanks for asking me to read it for you, i can't wait to see what's next

amazing just amazing you are very talented, and i thank you for sharing these with us

i've been doing some re- reading recently and i seem to come back here frequently. this collection is full of life in all it's flavors; happy, sad, angry, loving... a wonderful selection from a skilled writer.

oh @AC Benus and @MacGreg Sir these were lovely, and have been added to my playlist! thank you both so much!

WOW Def, just wow a masterpiece of a short story so glad i found it

i don't know why i never commented on these delightfully "delicious" slice of life stories! but today, i needed a pick me up, and there they were. what a wonderful series of vignettes allowing us to peek into the lives of two average (ok Faris may be ABOVE average in looks) guys living normal lives. thanks for lending Faris and James to us tim xoxo

thanks Def! i knew from talking with tim that writing poetry was much harder than it appears he makes it look so easy. but man! a couple of times i thought i'd cry from frustration thanks for reading and commenting

thank you Sir i wanted to show some of the process, to show my favorite poets (You Sir, tim, AC, chief among them) that i appreciate every word i appreciate you reading and commenting

so the student is also a teacher i'm grateful to you both

thank you Parker! the community here is, by and large, made up of good people without that encouragement, i don't think i would have even attempted the prompt, much less finished it thanks for taking the time to read this, i appreciate your comments

we do talk about poetry often, almost as often as we talk about food, it's from you that i received some of the best poetry writing advice, write it down, then let it sit. i'll look at the new prompts too, with a better grasp on what it's going to take to make the poem work thanks for all your love and support tim

oh A! while i thank you very much, i think i'll stick to the occasional blog thank you for taking the time to read this

thanks Dugh. Christmas has always been a special time for me thanks for reading

thanks, AC. i'm also glad i didn't quit. perhaps next time won't be quite like getting blood from a turnip! thanks for encouraging me

Back on July 16 @AC Benus posted a status update looking for volunteers to look at one of his poetry prompts. i thought about it, and decided to try. (it's here, if you're interested https://www.gayauthors.org/profile/18130-ac-benus/?status=134349&type=status) i'll show you the evolution in just a sec, but first i learned a couple of things i wanted to share. These authors who post poems here are a very talented group. They also work very hard on these offerings. It's not like they just spit the words out onto a page and VOILA! it's poetry. For the ones i know best, it's a long process. It could be days, or weeks before what they've written coalesces into something other than a pile of words. i've likened it to a painter, who blends the primary colors into just the PERFECT shade to convey the feeling. Our poets do that with words. Finding just the RIGHT word so their thoughts and feelings come though the page for the reader. The poets here at GA are also brave. They've put their hearts onto the page, bared their souls for all to see. That, my friends, is bravery. So, to AC's Poetry Prompt. i really wanted to do it, so i PMd him and said i'd volunteer. He sent the link and i downloaded it, and read it. Not just once, but many times. i started writing, and my first attempt was darn close to the syllable count (57577 is what a Tanka should be): the lights on the tree sparkle and dance bring butterflies to my stomach waiting for the morning was never my strength But there wasn't anything that tied together why waiting until morning is hard, and there was a hard stop after the third line, so back to the drawing board. The next attempt is a bit better but the syllable count is still off and there's still that pesky hard stop: the lights on the tree sparkle and dance on on the packages below, i'm giddy inside to see what's in them Whenever i had some quiet, or some downtime, i'd open the document and start to noodle around with it. i kept in touch with AC and shared some of my work. He was, as he always is, gentle and supportive in his critiques and his guidance. i thought a lot about his last email to me where he talked about how a person can say the same thing in many different ways, that blending of just the right words i talked about earlier. He said that putting the words in one order sounds like "everyday speech" but moving the exact same words around can make it musical. He went on to say that it takes practice, and that anyone writing poetry has to just write a lot to get a feel for it. Here's the final evolution: from across the room the brightly wrapped packages reflect the lights from the tree above and i can't wait to see what hides inside i used the "self-check" tool that was in the prompt, and it seemed to check out. AC agreed. He also reminded me not to be too hard on myself as writing poetry takes work, and practice. Then, as is his style, he invited me to revisit this when the new prompts come out. Am i glad i did the prompt challenge? Yes, i am. There were several times when i just wanted to stop, to give up. i was getting frustrated that i couldn't get it. But it's not in me to do that, so i did the best i could. Could i keep working at it? Sure, but i think i have learned what i needed to. And i gained some insight into the process, and perhaps a better appreciation for the poets among us. Will you be looking at the new prompts?

yes Sir i've done the challenge, my results are not on Your level, but You may see it soon

good for him and his mum! and the attorneys on the other end

very nice Sir i can hear those first rain drops, and smell them too thank you for sharing your effort on AC's prompt

sounds like the beginning to a great space opera epic poem thanks for sharing it, Dolores