Cornered

Trapped where the walls meet.

If you choose to escape, then

turn and walk away.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Confinement.

Links

Cultures Without Borders 2015

Author Page

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Frozen in Time

Frozen in Time

Frozen in time--

the day I

last saw you,

speaking eloquently

to so many friends.

Laughing and smiling.

Looking healthy, not

months away from

the final slide.

The years add up,

but I still

see you clearly.

Frozen in time.

Frozen in my mind.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith  Studio Creative Prompt-Frozen. The prompt is posted each Thursday. Last Thursday, I went to the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park on the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It is one of my favorite places to write and take photographs. I took several pictures of the ice in the pool that is part of the sculpture One Sun/34 Moons by Walter De Maria. When I got home, I checked the prompt and knew I had a choice of several photos. I started working on the poem a little later.

Links

ARTSPEAK RADIO presents

Author Page

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Silent Scream

Silent Scream

Who's there?

Don't stand and stare,

run, run, run, run.

No use, I can't get away.

Scream, scream.

I open my mouth,

but nothing comes out.

That's when I know

this is only a dream.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Can you scream in your dreams? Do you have recurring dreams?

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All Aboard

Photo by Dana Dampier

All Aboard

Board the train.

Take the ride.

Feel the cars shift

from side-to-side.

Look down the tracks.

They begin to blur.

Do they go straight

or take a curve?

The train moves on.

The tracks are sound.

Enjoy the journey

wherever you're bound.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-A Picture Worth a Thousand Words. Thank you for sharing one of your photos with us.

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Signs of Fall

Signs of Fall

In the heat of summer,

signs of fall appear.

Yellow buses take

to the streets on

a regular schedule.

Talk of football,

from youth to pro,

fills the air.

Everybody

 wants to be

in the know

about their teams.

Cicadas team their

screams  and create

an accompaniment

for morning walkers.

A sampling of leaves

change color

then fall.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Here's Your Sign.

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The Beauty of the Day

The Beauty of the Day

Step out and see

the beauty of the day.

Look up to the sky.

Watch the clouds float by,

the sun on the rise,

the moon departing.

Trees line the street.

Leaves wave in the wind.

Birds sing out or

search for something to eat.

Other animals scurry on the ground,

aware of every sound.

If we are that attentive,

we'll see wonders all around.

That's to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Spirituality.

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Weathering the Storm

Weathering the Storm

Harsh winds blow.

Hard rains fall.

Plants get beaten,

but don't break.

Colors fade

 from flowers.

Splotches of

 brightness survive.

Tattered petals

 hang on,

hoping for 

one more day

 in the sun. 

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Tattered.

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Anticipation

I think most of us experience anticipation related to certain foods or meals. Certainly children look forward to Halloween candy or birthday cake, especially their own. In Kansas City, I look forward to going out for barbecue. When I visit my hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., I can't wait to have chicken wings or beef on 'weck.

During my childhood, especially, I looked forward to the time when my Mother would start baking Christmas cookies. When I was very young, I helped by taste-testing the fruits and nuts that would be used in the various recipes. I also tested the dough because we didn't know then that you shouldn't eat it before it is baked. Of course, the best part was just spending time with my Mom or my Mom and my sister.

I still make two of the cookies at Christmas. I don't feel the same anticipation now that I bake them myself. However, I know that the people I share them with look forward to getting them each year. For that, I am very grateful.

Are there any foods that you always look forward to having?

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt.

Related Posts:

Buffalo Cuisine

The Mountains of Christmas

The Reluctant Baker

Apricot Filling

Apricot Filling

When Mom made 

the koclaczki at Christmas,

the apricot filling

was made from

canned pie filling and jam.

Then one year,

she made the filling from

dried apricots cooked down.

I never asked why

she made the change.

Maybe dried apricots

became more affordable

or more accessible.

Now when I make

the cookies at Christmas,

I don't use pie filling

and I don't use jam.

I only use

dried apricots cooked down.

Oh, and a little lemon juice.

Thanks Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Food.

The Duality of Starting

The Duality of Starting

Beginners

Rookies

Apprentices

Learn from those who came before.

Beginners

Creators

Innovators

Lead us into the future.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Prompt-Beginnings. What words and images do beginnings bring to mind for you. Create in your genre or medium of choice and post a link in the comments on the blog post.

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Sudden Silence

 

Quiet Please

 

The building

is crowded.

People wandering

everywhere.

Asking questions.

Making comments.

Placing orders.

I step outside

into the silence.

The path lets

 me travel deep

 into the quiet,

safe in the

knowledge that

it will lead me

 back to the noise

whenever I choose.

 

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Prompt-Sudden Silence. How do you deal with sudden silence? Does it make you uncomfortable or do you enjoy the change?

 

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Flaws

 

 

 

Flaw-an imperfection or weakness and especially one that detracts from the whole or hinders effectiveness. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

 

Is this photograph flawed?  Does the flower cutting across the robin detract from the photo or enhance it? I'd love to hear what you think.

 

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt. How would you interpret Flaws? Post a link to your interpretation in the comments on the blog post.

 

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Water

 

 

This time of year in the Midwest, you see all kinds of sprinklers going. They are various shapes and sizes. Sometimes when you play golf, sprinklers will come on unexpectedly or you way have to wait while the grounds crew waters a green.

 

This week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt is Water. Give us your interpretation of water in words or images by posting a link in the comments on the blog post. Thanks to Dana Dampier for this prompt.

 

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A New Chapter

 

 

I planted this daisy two years ago at the beginning of what turned out to be a very hot summer. I didn't think it survived the heat that year. I could always see a little bit of green, but it was so burned out that I thought I had lost it.

 

Last spring, some leaves started to sprout in the spot where the daisy had been. To be honest, I didn't know if it was the daisy or a weed. Because of the location, I decided to let the plant grow and see what happened. It continued to grow through the summer, but didn't flower.

 

This year, I was happy to see buds appearing. The picture shows the first flower in two years, not quite fully opened, and a couple of the other buds in the background.

 

This is my daisy's new chapter. It is strong and in full bloom.

 

A New Chapter is this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt. What does this prompt bring to mind? Write prose or poetry, take a picture or draw one. Put a link to your response in the comment section of the prompt post. Thanks to Dana Dampier for this prompt.

 

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