Not an endorsement of Twitter, just an attempt at 280 character flash fiction, aka Twitterature.
On and off
She has a hidden switch,
On for the smiling, outgoing, talk and laugh personality,
Off for the cut you off at the knees with a flick of her eyes personality.
On is heaven,
Off is hell,
For you.
Here's wishing you another year of true love.
Here's hoping it really is true.
Toggle and see.
Ah, New York.
New York City bathrooms are so fun
Toilet placement for contortionists,
Designer sink fixtures.
Thank goodness for the rattling fan
or window that actually stays in place.
There might be a part two. This is from mid-day.
I feel like I've entered an alternate universe.
Sitting on a pink couch
in my daughter's third floor walk up apartment,
Listening to a Roche's record from 1982.
Next up is "Natalie…Live" from 1978.
Looking at my daughter's stovetop
I can see remnants of what she cooks,
pasta, rice, some kind of green vegetable.
In the crisper of her refrigerator
are plastic bags of peppers,
yellow, orange, red.
That makes me smile.
I reach for a sponge and begin
to clean.
One of the ways I work on song editing is to record myself playing it live. I did two takes for this one. After the first take, I made some major edits. Unfortunately I didn't resolve how to play the riff until the end of take two. Please listen to the end when I finally figured out how the riff should go.
These were inspired by song lyrics I heard today. They could be related, or maybe not.
Sold their stuff,
drove around.
This is where they wound up,
and this is as good as it gets.
—-------------
Walking,
Just let me walk.
Walking,
It's how I get through life.
Taking,
Let me take my time.
Taking,
The time I need to live my life.
Loading,
My mind is getting filled.
Loading,
Experiences, my journey through life.
Looking,
Just let me look around.
Looking,
Inside and out to find my way through this life.
Feeling,
Just let me feel.
Feeling,
Emotions get deeper with every day of life.
—----------
Can you find the statues in the dark?
Stone, marble, metal, wood,
Eyes open.
You feel them watching you
even though you don't see them.
—-----------
Homes and Roots
I've had many homes,
Will probably have more before my final one.
But never stayed long enough
for the roots to grow deep
and strong enough
To hold me there.
Oh, I have a home, a place where I go
for food, for shelter.
A place I call mine.
Who has been a refugee?
Who has fled to find peace?
Who has been a refugee?
Who has fled in a storm alone
Looking for something you couldn't get at home
Who hasn't been a refugee?
Searching for more,
Searching for peace, comfort, the promise of a future.
—-----------------
Flannel, Fleece, and Down
It's like summer ended overnight.
For days the fall wind has cut to the bone,
Day and night,
Signaling it's time for flannel, fleece, and down.
At night a harvest moon in the sky,
Planets and stars shining bright.
Morning brings the sun rising amidst clouds
Wind tossed leaves, brown on the ground.
—----------------
Wish on stars.
Wish on pennies that land face up.
Wish when you blow the candles out.
Wish and wonder if your wishes will ever come true.
—------------
They say,
The sky's the limit
Follow your dreams
Get back up when you fall
You can make it if you try.
If only life was that easy.
If only life really worked that way.
If only wishes and cliched encouragement could make it so.
Early Snow
I probably should have
driven down the hill
before the snow started.
From my window I could see the clouds
beginning to cover the hilltops.
I could see trees bending in the wind,
and feel cold air blowing through my slightly open window.
The weather app on my phone
said it was already snowing,
which wasn't yet true.
I probably should have
driven down the hill.
Instead I stayed in my room,
sipping coffee,
reading news stories,
listening to music.
Looking out the window,s
watching
as tiny white specks began to fall,
and dance in the air
before landing on the deck
and melting.
The specks got bigger,
snowflakes now,
painting the deck white.
It's not winter yet,
But when you live a mile high,
you know
November 3 is not too early for snow.
I probably should have driven down the hill
before the snow started,
because I know
I won't feel like driving
if the roads get icy.
And the road I'm on
won't get sanded,
which means my all weather tires
will be my only defense
against nature,
And I am a firm believer
in respecting the power
of Mother Nature.
Flash Fiction
It Wasn't Supposed to Rain Today
It wasn't supposed to rain. Not today. Please not today. She was still getting over a cold. Her umbrella was in her other bag. She didn't have a jacket. She had so much to do. She just wasn't in the mood for getting wet. Why couldn't the weather forecasters get it right.
She checked the weather app on her phone. There it was. Raindrops for the next two hours. Clouds and a chance of rain for the rest of the day. Shit. She thought about going home and trying again tomorrow. But, according to her phone and her friends, it was supposed to snow tomorrow. What the fuck! It's November 1 and the weather has already turned to crap? Living a mile high isn't as glorious as it used to be. It was so much more fun when she was younger and had places she had to go, things she had to do, people she needed to take care of. So much more fun when her body didn't talk back when the temperature dropped, the wind picked up, and precipitation vacillated between rain, sleet, snow pellets and maybe snowflakes if you were lucky. All the while the wind gusted, straining tree limbs, pushing through door cracks, rattling windows. Not a good time for weak muscles and brittle bones. Not a good time, but tomorrow might be worse. So time to suck it up, get wet and cold, and get the errands done. And if it didn't snow tomorrow as predicted, she'd probably whine and then get on with her day. Just like today. Except no rain. She hoped.
A drabble (100 word flash fiction)
Into the Desert
Looking over her shoulder to be sure no one was following, she stepped into the desert. She needed solitude, space. To walk. She needed extremes. She needed challenges. This time of year it was mild during the day but at night the temperature would drop quickly. Below freezing. The wind would be relentless, never stopping, just pausing to gather energy for high gusts, which could blow her over as they kicked up sand and created blinding whiteouts. But she was ready, bandana already tied around her neck, glasses on, and a winter skullcap keeping her hair down. It was time.
Dribbles are 50 word Flash Fiction.
Drop Dead
Sitting at the bar, scrolling through messages on his phone, he was oblivious to the woman to his left. Nursing an empty beer glass, she bumped his elbow, apologized, and got the no conversation vibe. He finally looked her way when she fell to the floor. Then he shouted "Mom!"
Locked In
It got cold as she neared the end of her hike. She pulled her sweatshirt hood up, tiptoed through the water near the dam, got to her car. Only two others in the parking lot. She turned on the heat and drove off. At the locked gate she stopped, crap.
Alternate ending:
Stopping at the locked gate, she screamed.