Shweta is our host for the Saturday Six Word Challenge – #116.
This weekβs prompt word is βblindβ. I thought this image from Kevin
at No Theme Thursday worked quite well. This is my 6 word story.
Tag: Love
Want To Watch A Movie? – Encore
Todayβs movie suggestion comes from our friend SueW; check out her site; itβs a delight. https://nansfarm.net/.
This is a new one for me. Hereβs what IMDB had to say about The Holiday:
Amanda lives in LA and is a movie trailer editor. Iris lives in Surrey and is a journalist. The two decide to swap houses for two weeks at Christmas β both trying to forget their troubled love lives .β¦ until love finds them anyway.
Well, sounds like my kind of flick and itβs already on my watchlist. I know what we’ll be watching tonight!
Let’s check out the trailer:
Iβll save you a seat. Enjoy the movie! π₯ πΏ π₯€
NARΒ©2024
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk, and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Want To Watch A Movie?
Bill and I have agreed (for research purposes) to watch more movies with a holiday theme. This is our first one and, boy, it’s an oldie but a goodie …. a true classic with one of my favorite actors …. Jack Lemmon. Itβs not exactly a holiday movie, but most of the drama unfolds during the Christmas season, which earns it a spot on my list. The Apartment, which won five Oscars (including Best Picture), follows a lonely insurance worker named C.C. Baxter (Lemmon). To climb up the corporate ladder, he starts to lend his Upper West Side apartment to company bosses who are having romantic affairs. However, things get complicated when Baxter learns that his own manager is hooking up with the woman he has feelings for. They don’t make them like this anymore. Here’s the trailer:
Iβll save you a seat. Enjoy the movie! π₯ πΏ π₯€
NARΒ©2024
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk, and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
The Continuing Adventures of George and Martha, Vol. 6: PotΔto PotΗto
Written for The Unicorn Challenge where we are
asked to get creative in 250 words or less using
the photo below as inspiration. This is my story.
With Love From Us: A Haibun
Written for dVerse Poetics where the theme is
βDespite and Stillβ. My inspiration is the poem seen below
written by John N. Morris. Here is my haibun.
Want To Watch A Movie?
Here’s a flick we hadn’t seen in a while. We watched it again last night and remembered why we enjoy it so much. If you’re looking for something that’s very funny with just a touch of sentimentality, then this one is a good choice for you. It’s a no-brainer; sit back and be entertained by Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and Betty White in “The Proposal”.
This is the premise: When up tight New York editor Margaret faces deportation, she convinces her assistant Andrew to marry her in return for a promotion. However, when she visits his hometown, it changes her in many ways. Here’s a clip:
Iβll save you a seat. Enjoy the movie! π₯ πΏ π₯€
NARΒ©2024
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk, and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Just Our Luck!
Shweta is our host for the Saturday Six Word Challenge – #115.
This weekβs prompt word is βfortuneβ. Here is my 6 word story.
The Eighth Of December
A tribute to John Lennon who was taken from us on this date in 1980. Many of you have read this; many of you who are new to my site have not. Please indulge me one more time. Roughly four years ago I had the great pleasure and honor of narrating a few of my stories on the BBC Radio program called βUploadβ. I also submitted my story, βThe Eighth of Decemberβ, never expecting to receive an email from the program manager of the radio station asking me if Iβd like to read my story and do a live interview. To us here in The States, The BBC is a pretty big deal so I was rather blown away and, despite my nerves, I agreed to the interview. The format of the radio station has since changed and βUploadβ was replaced by another show; itβs now impossible to find my interview. All I have is my story; every word is true. This is βThe Eighth of Decemberβ.
Continue reading “The Eighth Of December”So This Is Christmas
This week at Writing Prompts, Esther has teased us
with the word βChristmasβ. Here are some happy
childhood memories from a piece I wrote in 2018.
This is my 2024 version of βSo This Is Christmasβ.
Forever You ~ A Quadrille
Written for dβVerse Poets Q213 – With A Little Help – where Lisa has
offered as inspiration the prompt word βwithβ. Here is my quadrille.
On The Other Side
Written for The New, Unofficial, On-Line Writerβs Guild.
The three prompts this week from TN at OLWG #393 are
1) night will end; 2) look, over there, did you see that?; and
3) sittinβ on a rainbow. This is my story, based on true events
experienced by my son and his wife. Believe or not; itβs all true.
In My Life
Written for Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge,
Specific Form 11/19/24. My theme is βfamilyβ.
I have chosen to write a Shadorma, a Spanish
poetic form that consists of six-line stanzas (sestets)
with a specific syllable count for each line: (3/5/3/3/7/5).
Another Day: An Ovi Poem
Written for Ovi Poetry Challenge #75.
Our inspiration word is βpersevereβ and this is my ovi.
Lamb Stew
Looking through my early stories, I found one from 2017,
my first year on WordPress, with only 4 likes and no comments;
I thought I’d give it another shot. Any similarity between the MC
and yours truly is very much intended. I hope you enjoy Lamb Stew.
In Prescious Moments Of Lucidity: A Haibun
Written for dβVerse Poets where our inspiration
today is βreflectionβ. Here is my haibun.
On the Corner of Elm and Poplar
Written for Kevinβs No Theme Thursday 10.31.24.
Weβre offered incredibly creative images to inspire
and get our writing juices flowing. This is my story.
When The Vow Breaks ~ A Quadrille
Written for dVerse Poets Quadrille Monday
where we are asked to write a 44 word poem in
the format of our choice incorporating the word
‘promise’. Here is my promise quadrille.
Family Affair
Written for Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim Adams
has asked his readers in his post ‘Quality Time’ to write about
a song dealing with parenting or a child/parent relationship.
This theme was my suggestion and here is my reply.
So Alone: An Ovi
Written for Ovi Poetry Challenge #70
Our inspiration word is βemptyβ
and this is my ovi,
#9 Dream
Sometimes you see an image
and you know itβs perfect for your story.
This is Kevin’s pic from No Theme Thursday: 10.17.24
and here is my story.
Intoxicating Me
It’s Sunday and that means it’s time for Song Lyric Sunday!
This week Jim Adams has asked his readers in his post “Spirits”
to write about a song that mentions drinks or cocktails.
Theme suggested by Di at pensitivity101.wordpress.com. Here is my reply.
Pull up a stool and start running a tab, because weβre diving into a very popular topic in the music world: booze.
Drinking is practically a worldwide pastime. After all, Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, βBeer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.β Frank Sinatra once said, βAlcohol may be manβs worst enemy, but the Bible says to love your enemy.β And then, thereβs the greatest quote about alcohol by the legendary comic actor W.C. Fields: βI spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wastedβ!
Whether itβs beer or wine or the hard stuff, there are countless songs about drinking. Some of these songs are upbeat, while others are dark. Some are joyous while others are sorrowful. Regardless, many have resonated with fans spanning multiple generations.
Iβm not much of a drinker; while I do occasionally enjoy a glass of wine π·, a very dirty martini with extra olivesπΈ , a spicy Bloody Mary πΉ or an ice cold Stella Artois πΊ on a hot summer day, more than one of any of those libations would wipe me out.
I took some time to explore songs about drinking through a variety of different lenses, from love ballads to cautionary tunes of heartache and everything in between. At the end of it all, when it comes to drinking, most people just want to unwind, have a good time and forget about whatever troubles theyβre dealing with.
Not so my featured song today … a classic jazz number from 1938 called βYou Go To My Headβ which artfully compares the effects of love and drink. There are quite a few versions of the song and Iβve heard most of them; none, in my opinion, come close to Billie Holiday.
Born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Billie Holiday was a superstar of her day. She first rose to prominence in the 1930’s with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance. More than 80 years after making her first recording, Billie’s legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in contemporary music. Billieβs complicated life and genre-defining autobiography βLady Sings the Bluesβ made her a cultural icon. The evocative, soulful voice which she boldly put forth as a force for good, turned any song she sang into her own. Today, Billie Holiday is remembered for her musical masterpieces, her songwriting skills, creativity and courageous views on inequality and justice. To read more about the extraordinary life of Billie Holiday, please follow this link.
Three different recordings of βYou Go to My Headβ by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie made the Top 20 list in 1938: Billie Holidayβs version was one of them. Written after a long night at a local speakeasy, the songβs melody can be played as bright and effervescent or as introspective and melancholy. The song has been featured in the movies Laura (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946).
Iβve been in love with βYou Go To My Headβ since the first time I heard it as a young teenager. Itβs a sophisticated jazz piece about love and booze β¦ a very unusual choice for a 13 or 14 year old girl who didnβt know anything about either subject. Somehow I knew this song was much more than a ditty about drinks and love. Itβs also the first song with an adult theme which I memorized and practiced singing. Iβm sure no matter how many times I performed this song later in life, I never sounded as cool and classy as Billie Holiday.
This is βYou Go To My Headβ by Billie Holiday
LYRICS
You go to my head
And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
You go to my head
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
And I find the very mention of you
Like the kicker in a julep or two
The thrill of the thought
That you might give a thought to my plea
Casts a spell over me
Still I say to myself, “Get a hold of yourself”
Can’t you see that it never can be?
You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand Julys
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Though I’m certain that this heart of mine
Hasn’t a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
You go to my head
You go to my head
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: J. Fred Coots/Haven Gillespie
You Go to My Head lyrics Β© Wb Music Corp., Toy Town Tunes Inc, Toy Town Tunes, Inc., John F. Coots Jr. Trust Music
Producer(s): John Hammond, Bernie Hanighen
Vocal: Billie Holiday
Composer, Lyricist: J.F. Coots/H. Gillespie
Guitar: Danny Barker
Drums: Cozy Cole
Re-Mastering Engineer(s): Seth Foster, Mark Wilder
Piano: Billy Kyle
Saxophone: Babe Russin
Clarinet: Buster Bailley
Trumpet: Charlie Shavers
Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and to Di for a terrific theme suggestion! Be sure to follow the links and check out their sites.
Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. π
NARΒ©2024
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Love Makes The World Go ‘Round
Written for Ovi Poetry Challenge #69;
our inspiration word is βspiceβ. Here is my ovi.
Itβs said love makes the world go βround
A loving couple altar bound
Their forever love have they found
What a very happy day!
What is the special joy of life
A happy man, a happy wife
A recipe with lots of spice
Who could ask for more?
Keep fighting to a minimum
Lovemaking to a maximum
Your lives will never be humdrum
And youβll smile all the while!
NARΒ©2024
This is βLove Makes The World Go βRoundβ by Deon Jackson
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Chills and Fever
Written for Sammiβs Weekend Writing Prompt #385.
The challenge is to write a poem or a piece of prose
in exactly 85 words using the word “vertigo”. Hereβs mine.
What is this sudden disequilibrium?
I feel like I could fall flat on my bum!
Tummyβs flipping and Iβm gonna be sick
Somebody get me some Pepto quick!
Ears are ringing, Iβve got a headache
Doctor, please! I need a break!
First a fever and now the chills
Pass me some of those magic pills!
My heart is racing like an SST
Give it to me straight, Doc. What’s wrong with me?
Whatβs that you say? Itβs love vertigo?
Thereβs no cure? Well, whaddya know!
NARΒ©2024
85 Words
From 1964, this is βChills and Feverβ featuring a 24 year old Tom Jones and his group, The Senators.
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Love Lost
Written for Sadjeβs What Do You See # 257,
this is my free verse response.
In the 58 years since my birth, we were never close β¦ just one of those sadly unfulfilled relationships between mother and daughter.
If she ever loved me, she didnβt show it. And, God forgive me, I did not love her.
Yet here I was visiting her at the nursing home.
Why? Was I driven by misplaced guilt?
Was I still seeking her approval?
Invisible. Thatβs the only word that came to mind when my mother turned to look at me.
Her eyes were blank, her expression impassive.
And when she reached for my hand, I couldnβt stop my tears.
NARΒ©2024
#WDYS
This is βMotherβ by John Lennon
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Desert Sky
Written for The New, Unofficial, On-Line Writerβs Guild.
This week the three prompts for OLWG #368 – We Both Know
are (1) an old Patti Smith song, (2) need more blue in the shadows
and (3) when I left El Paso. Here is my first story for OLWG.
Jenna pulled off the long empty stretch of highway and killed the engine. The view of the desert skyline was too stunning for words. She stepped out of the car and leaned against the door, the hot sun beating down on her face and shoulders. The late afternoon sky was intense, deeply saturated with shades of cerulean, and Jenna smiled. As a fledgling artist, she always found fault with her own artwork, declaring the colors βlacklusterβ; she was more at home with a camera than a paint brush. Natureβs palette didnβt need more blue in the shadows cast by the sun or more green in the desert grass. It was perfection.
Easing her way back into the driverβs seat, Jenna caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview. The delicate gold chain with the heart from Miguel was dazzling in the desert sun. Jenna lifted the heart to lips and closed her eyes.
Reaching for her cell phone, Jenna snapped a photo of the desert and sent it to Miguel; then she called him. After three rings, her call went to voice mail. Jenna didnβt care; the time was right. She left a message:
βHey, babe! Can you guess where I am from the photo I sent? In an hour Iβll be home. Home. Just saying the word fills my heart with joy. When I left El Paso, I had no idea the photo shoot would keep me away so long. I miss you so much, mi amor. I canβt wait to be in your arms once again! I love you, papi.β
Jenna pushed the engine button and started heading home. About ten minutes into her drive, she hear the familiar strains of an old Patti Smith song coming from her phone β¦ Miguelβs personal ringtone. She pulled over to read the message:
βJenna, mi amor! Iβve waited this long. Whatβs another hour? Te amo!β
Smiling at the sight of the desert sky in her rearview, Jenna hurried home β¦ home to Miguel.
NARΒ©2024
This is βDancing Barefootβ by Patti Smith
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
1968: A Dectina Refrain
Written for dVerse Poetics: Fall (in) Love,
this is my Dectina Refrain.
I
met him
in the fall,
tanned from summer.
He was a bronzed god,
hair as gold as the sun,
eyes like burnished copper glowed.
He warmed the chill from out my bones,
thawed the late Autumn frost in my heart.
I met him in the fall tanned from summer.
NARΒ©2024
Happy Birthday to my husband Bill. We met in the fall of 1968. π€
This is βBillβ from Showboat performed by the Rebecca Trehearn
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Tears Come Easy
Written for Weekend Writing Prompt #380 and
Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge where the required words
are ‘auction’ and ‘lilac’. In exactly 78 words, here is my story.
My husband came home from grocery shopping and after putting away the ice cream said to me, βI stopped by the Chatsworth Auction House. Look what I found.β
He handed me a small box; inside were vintage lilac gemstone and silver filigree earrings.
I started to cry β¦ tears come easy β¦ and he asked βWhatβs wrong?β
βNothing. Theyβre perfectβ I sobbed. βJust like the ones I lost years ago.β
βI rememberβ he whispered and kissed my head.
NARΒ©2024
78 Words
This is βI Remember Youβ by Frank Ifield
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Sign Language
Written for Friday Fictioneers where Rochelle asks us to
get creative in 100 words or less. Making every word count
and using Dale’s photo below as inspiration, here is my flash.
Since we was kids it was just me and Roxie. Nobody wanted us but we didnβt care.Β We was crazy in love, wild about each other. We didnβt need nobody stickinβ their noses in our beeswax.
Long as we was together, nothin’ else much mattered, y’know?
We got a gig flippinβ flapjacks, a tin roof over our heads, a bed, and a hi-fi for spinninβ tunes.
We do our jobs each day, make mad love every night, and dance in the glittery moonlight.
We’re happy and there’s no hidin’ the signs. The whole shack shimmies.
Thatβs more than most folks got.
NARΒ©2024
100 Words
This is βLove Shackβ by The B-52’s
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
In A Groove
Written for dVerse Poets Quadrille #207 Spin Cycle
Hold my hand, honey
and take me for a spin
Twirl me βround the dance floor
Iβm loving the spin Iβm in
Whisper those sweet nothings, baby
send shivers up my spine
and make my head spin, lover
tonight I’m gonna make you mine
NARΒ©2024
44 Words
This is βThat Old Black Magicβ by Louis Prima and Keely Smith, the Heppest of the Hep!
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Calm and Choppy Waters
Written for Stream of Consciousness Saturday
where the theme is βshipβ. This is my stream.
Sometimes in life you make a connection with another person and you know right away itβs special. That happened to me 40 years ago on the day we moved into our new house.
We werenβt moving very far β just about a quarter mile from where we were living. Thatβs the wonderful thing about this little town; no one wants to leave! Itβs quaint, friendly, clean and quiet with itβs beautiful harbor full of ships bobbing peacefully on small waves.
Moving day arrived and the crew was busy getting our boxes loaded for shipping to the new house. My husband stayed behind making sure all went smoothly while I headed over to the new house with our two small sons to wait for the moving vans.
We were sitting on the floor of our empty house playing a game when someone knocked on the door. It was our new neighbor, Debby, who came over to introduce herself. When she saw us sitting on the floor, she insisted we go over to her place which was right next door. When I explained that I was waiting for the moving vans to arrive, Debby said I’d have a clear view of my house from her comfortable sofa. I didn’t need any more convincing and agreed to go over.
When we walked into Debby’s house, the first thing I noticed were the numerous framed photos of large fishing ships, most of them with her husband grinning and displaying a huge fish. I thought how nice it would be for my husband to have a fellow fisherman living next door.
Debby and I started talking and it was as easy and natural as rain. We had so much in common, it felt like weβd known each other all our lives. She also had two young sons and my boys had instant friends. We talked non-stop while I waited for the movers to show up; by the time the vans arrived, a great friendship had been formed and is still going strong. We’ve been through bad hair days, secrets, laughs, tears, vacations, runs to the emergency room, weddings, flooded basements, missing cats, birthdays, Covid, lots of wine, illness, school fairs, Christmases and devastating deaths.
It’s so nice when you have neighbors you get along with; it’s priceless when you have a great relationship like mine and Debby’s. We’re very close and so much alike, people think we’re sisters. If I need to cry or share a laugh, Deb’s the first one I call. The same is true for her. We are each others best friend, two women lucky to have this amazing “soulship” to carry us through the calm and choppy waters of life.
NARΒ©2024
This is βWooden Shipsβ by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 