locked

welcome readers & writers - it's friday. wa hooooooo!! a big thanks to krowles1981, FilmGuy and Ashley Brandon for writing with me yesterday. i love to read your work.

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so, not only is it friday - its', yes - you guessed it - photog friday! every other day of the week the photo you see on the blog are mine. on fridays the photos are the work of a pro. this week's photo was taken by one of my very best friends, Pauline Palko. Pauline and i have belonged to the same writing group for almost ten years (10 as of february!) Pauline is a published short story writer. she recently returned from a trip to italy, lucky lady! the fascinating photo above is right out of her trip album. thanks for sharing it with us, pauline :)

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writers, what's your take on Pauline's photo? short story, poem or creative non-fiction - send it in by clicking on comments below. here's my fiction spin on it:

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The young priest leads the way outside after our rehearsal. My fiance and I follow, enveloped by our families and our wedding party. Fr. Phillip stops, turns to the group and says, "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder. It's the final pronouncement in the traditional wedding ceremony. Forever, we say. In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for richer, for poorer, as long as we both shall live. 'We won't let any of these things tear us apart,' you're saying - 'and we won't let the presence of another person be our undoing either.' Yes?" "Yes," the two of us say, looking into each other's eyes. My fiance takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. 
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"To be that strong," the priest continues, "to have a foundation that solid, to really make a go of this marriage, you've got to hold it together. You've got to have a pact. An intentional, unbreakable bond. Tomorrow you'll make that promise inside, surrounded by those who love you, in the eyes of God. But tonight, here in the setting sun, I ask you to declare your strength, your intention to live in that strength, in a visible, tangible, public way.  What do you offer as a symbol of your wedding day promise?" 
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I pull our lock from my purse. It's shiny and gold, and I love it. And if you want to know a secret, I bought it long before I met Anton. I bought it as a declaration to myself and the world that I was open to love, and it's been sitting on my mantel - open - ever since. The night of our first date, Anton came to my house to pick me up and saw it on the mantle. He asked me about it, what it was for and why it was there. I knew he was a good man when he didn't run for the hills hearing me talk of marriage before we'd even had dinner. 
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We reach out together now and add our lock to the chain of links. It clicks into place like the final piece of a puzzle long in the works. I smile at my sweet and we kiss. It's official. We've cast our lot with so many others. It feels good to know we're not alone; since Fr. Phillip arrived, every couple who marries in this church brings their lock and adds it to the others. 
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I believe - deeply believe - that with Fr. Phillip, our family, our faith and our friends on our side, our commitment is strong enough to last a lifetime. Til death do us part. We're going to make it. It may not always be easy, but we'll make it.  
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come write with me!

cooked

welcome readers & writers... and many thanks to Jessica Lemmon, FilmGuy, Chuck Galle, and Brian Potopowtiz for your awesome posts on yesterday's photo! what a great day for the blog.

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it's photog friday! today's photo contribution was taken by a frequent visitor and writer to the blog, brian potopowitz. brian is a friend of mine and an all-around creative soul - carpenter, writer, jeweler and photographer. he's originally from alaska and now lives in northeastern pennsylvania. i saw this photo on brian's facebook page and asked him if we could use it for a photog friday - it's intriguing to me! thank you, brian, for the use of your great photo.

here's my fiction spin on brian's photo:

I sink down into my claw foot tub, which is already filled to the brim with hot, silky suds, and I relax by degrees. An involuntary shudder runs through me as the heat penetrates through every layer of my skin and deep into my bones. My scalp tingles with the pleasure of being warm for the first time all day, for the first time since I turned off my electric blanket this morning and put my feet on the frosty floor. In fact, the whole day's been frosty, and I'm not just talking about the weather. My boss was in a miserable, self-centered mood. With a few muttered words and the flutter of her hand she shot down the proposal I've been working on for weeks. My ideas don't even warrant a complete sentence anymore, I guess. My co-workers could hardly look me in the eye. It's not that they don't like me. And no, they weren't being mean. Deep down they fear that failure is contagious; they want to succeed so badly that not one of them would chance contracting my luck. Ah well, tomorrow is another day, and I'm on to a new proposal.
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I soak for more than an hour, adding water whenever the temperature strays too far from sizzling. I sip wine and read my novel. I close my eyes and drift off for a time, and when I open them again I see such a lovely -- almost leopard-like -- pattern of condensation on the metallic tiles above me. I've heard it said that 70% of the human body is composed of water. Not me. 95% or bust, baby.  

writers, i hope you'll join me in writing about brian's photo!  short story, poem or creative non-fiction... just click on comments below to share.

gilded

welcome readers and writers - happy october! many thanks to brian potopowitz, film guy and ms. brandon for your awesome posts on yesterday's photo.

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it's photog friday again! every other day of the week the photos you see on my blog were taken by me. on photog fridays we get to gaze upon (and write about!) a photo taken by a pro. 

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this week we have the pleasure of writing about another photo by the very gifted kelli west of kelli west photography. a thousand thanks to kelli for this gorgeous pic! click here to see the other wonderful photo kelli contributed to the blog (as well as the stories that came in on it).

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writers, i'm so excited to read your response to kelli's beautiful photo ~ story, poem or creative non-fiction. 250(ish) words or less, just click on comments below to share. here's my reflection:

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Today I'm wishing I could enter into Kelli's photo the way Jane and Michael Banks jumped into Bert's chalk paintings in Mary Poppins. I'd spend the day by this pond, paddling around in that shiny blue canoe, thinking on this worn, craggy rock. Then I'd slip into that wonderful boat house, which has been converted, you know, into a writing studio. It's painted a rich, creamy white inside with accents of nettle green and the palest butter yellow. There's a hooked wool rug on the floor, a shabby chic antique desk near the window and a big, deep, over-stuffed chaise lounge to sink into a little later, when it's time to fuel writing with some great reading. If it's chilly enough I might set a fire in the pot belly stove and heat up a cup of mint tea with honey. You can't see it, but in the shade of those leafy trees there's a hammock. Perhaps I'll pull on a sweatshirt and let the hammock cradle me while I doze off awhile, listening to the birds sing. This wonderful day would stretch out forever, until I felt centered, grounded, peaceful and like I'd made some great progress on my writing. At least I can go to this place in my mind :)  Thanks, Kelli, for the mini-get-away! 
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writers, i love to read your work. come write with me!

    

secluded

readers & writers, it's photog friday! but first let me pause to thank c johnson, brian potopowitz, and ash for your great responses to yesterday's photo.

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i'm so excited to share today's photog friday writing prompt with you because it is the work of my childhood friend jeff gray, who is now a gifted photographer and artist. jeff and his equally talented wife jewels own Gray Photography in denver, colorado. thank you, jeff, for your gorgeous photo!

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ya'll, see more of jeff and jewels' amazing work by clicking here. here's my spin on the photo:
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Kate lets go of Sam's hand and runs down the path to the beach. He watches as she stretches out her arms to the sky in a yoga pose - some kind of sun worship dealie - he can't remember what it's called. She spots something in the distance and calls out to him, throwing a huge grin over he shoulder and admonishing him to hurry up already. He used to love her exuberance, her childlike ability to play and to enjoy every moment of the day. Six years later, though, he hates admitting to himself that it's wearing kind of thin. Lately it feels like they're stuck together on some kind of relationship teeter totter. The happier Kate gets, the lower Sam sinks into despair. Like today, he can't see what's so lovely about the beach. It's gray and cloudy and the sky is going to flipping rain all over their plans for the afternoon.  But there she is acting like a preschooler itching for her teacher's approval. Otherwise why would she be doing sun poses and pointing at what is probably a run of the mill seagull or a dime a dozen parasailer? "Okay, already," he grumbles as his feet crunch to the place where rocky path meets sand.  Yes, I see you.  Aren't you the adorably cute one, he wants to yell at her. Maybe loud enough to blow that bright smile off her face.  Then, in the next breath he remembers that he loves her. He loves her.  So, coming up beside her, he forces his voice to a brittle, "I'm here, already. What's the big deal?"  She squeals and claps her hands, pointing at the sky again. He follows her gaze, gasping when he sees it. He takes her hand and squeezes it. "Never, in a million years..." he whispers.       

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writers, i can't wait to read your stories, poems or creative non-fiction responses to jeff's photo. share them by clicking on comments below. come write with me!

hallowed

welcome readers & writers! thank you to krowles1981, chuck galle, brian potopowitz and c johnson for your great stories on yesterday's post. i love writing with ya'll.

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it's photog friday! the photo prompt you see here was taken by Beth Forma, a friend of mine and a gifted photographer here in austin. thank you, Beth, for your interesting and lovely photo. this is Beth's second photo to be posted on write away; to see the other (and the stories that accompanied it) click here. peruse more photog friday fun here, here, here, and here.

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what Beth's photo prompted in me:
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Dear G,
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I don't know what to believe about where you are now. I know what I want to believe. I know what I'm afraid of. I know that buzzing in every cell of my body is a kind of wonder at this life, the beauty and complexity of it all. That can't be an accident, can it? That can't just have ended when you took your last jagged breath. I see these little signs sometimes and I don't know how to read them. I don't trust myself to say them out loud, let alone to celebrate them as they really ought to be celebrated if they're real. 
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First, on the day of your funeral, in the shadow of a snowy, rocky mountain, we said goodbye while the damp chill of a spring snowstorm (death's minion?) bit its way through every layer of warmth we'd piled on ourselves. But then, in the last minute or two, as if God pushed aside the clouds enough so you could see us, one giant circle of blue sky and light emerged above our heads, and it was snowing through sunshine. For a breath or two we were enveloped in warmth, your love? And now this. If it's random, there must be some kind of goodness at least, bouncing about this world like a pinball lighting up its machine. 
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If it's you, or the artist who made you, saying hello - then, well, hello. I love you.
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D
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come write with me! story, poem or creative non-fiction ~ 250(ish) words or less. click on comments below to share. by the way, we're up to 89 followers now (!) do i hear 90?  =)
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excavated

welcome readers & writers, and thank you for your reading and writing participation! special thanks to Chuck Galle, krowles1981, Christa and Brian Potopowitz for your contributions to yesterday's blog.

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well, it's photog friday again! aren't you excited?!? today's photo prompt was contributed by my friend Mark Webber, a gifted artist/painter who teaches in the art department at Marywood University in Pennsylvania. thank you, Mark, for such an interesting photo; i can't wait to see what stories, poems and creative non-ficiton rise up in response! writers, write away and then click on comments below.

here's my spin on mark's photo: 

Whitney tried to avoid the vapid gazes of those stone babies. Unfortunately, the quickest route from the active dig to the outbuilding took her right by them. And anyway, even on the days she managed to avoid them, she dreamed about them. Only, in the dreams, their eye sockets weren't empty; they were full and pure white. And the baby heads were laughing. Or sometimes crying. Or one was laughing while the other cried. Either way they seemed to want something from her. 

Whitney knew how unbelievably lucky she'd been to win a position as one of two interns assigned to the dig for the summer. She'd learned more in a couple of weeks than in her three years of college thus far. But there were days when she was so hot and exhausted that she just wanted to fly back to Nebraska, crawl into her old four poster bed and sleep for a week before reclaiming her usual job as a lifeguard. Just about now, she thought, the pool would be closing and the gang would be heading out to someone's parents' house for pizza and movies.  

"Phooey," she said aloud to the babies. 

In the next beat she could have sworn she heard, in stereo, baby belly chuckles. She shrieked and sprinted away as quickly as she could, not slowing down until she was back in the company of her fellow intern and the folks who'd dug up the little boogers in the first place.         

250(ish) words or less.  come write with me!