Today at RDP, we are asked to share a story,
ย poem, photo, painting, essay, etc., focusing
on the word โannoyโ. Hereโs my take.
Tag: Traffic
Just Wasting My Time
Today at RDP, we are asked to share a
story, poem, photo, painting, essay, etc.,
centered on the words โstand inโ. Hereโs my take.
A Bad Sign
Written for Friday Fictioneers where our host Rochelle
has asked us to use the photo below as inspiration
to get creative in 100 words or less, making
every word count. Hereโs my flash.

Just my luck! First day of my new job; things couldnโt have gotten off to a worse start!
Overnight blackout during a heatwave.
No electricity.
No AC; I sweat like crazy all night and smell like an ox.
No alarm clock; I overslept.
No time for a shower and shave.
No closet light; Iโm wearing one brown shoe and one black.
I look like a derelict!
Nothing for breakfast; no time for even fast food.
Iโm stuck behind road hogs. “Outta my way, you fools! Iโm late for work!“
Some first impression. I must have a cloud over my head!
NARยฉ2024
100 Words
This is โBorn Under A Bad Signโ by Albert King
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.
Dazed and Confused: An Ovi
Written for dVerse Poetsโ theme:
Poetics: Dreaming up a Poem.
This is my Ovi based on a dream.

We were in the car
Hadnโt gone very far
Not a cloud the sky to mar
It was a glorious day
We went to the casino
Hoping to win lots of dough
Trying not our money to blow
The slots were on our side
The sun was bright in the sky
We were happy, spirits high
The road was clear, I could fly
Where should we go for lunch?
Suddenly a huge traffic jam
On my brakes I did slam
Fishtailing, I felt the ram
Some guy hit me really hard
No way could I stop it
Roll roll roll flip into a pit
All we could do was sit
Gravel poured through the cracked sunroof
Police and ambulance appear
Anyone in there? Can you hear?
Iโm in shock, feel no fear
Weโre rushed to the hospital
Iโm ok but my husbandโs hurt
Thereโs so much blood on his shirt
Heโs dazed and confused, not alert
God, please let him be ok
Dream ends and I wake up
I reach for my water cup
Heart is racing, thump thump thump
This is a true story
NARยฉ2024
This ovi poem is based on a horrible rollover accident from 2001 in which my husband and I were involved. The photo above is what was left of my car. I believe in God and I’m sure he was watching over us. It’s been 23 years but I still have dreams of that day.
This is โDazed and Confusedโ by Led Zeppelin
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.
Long and Winding Road

So, I was on the road early this morning and there was a good deal of traffic. Fortunately, the long version of “Light My Fire” came on SiriusXM followed by a Rush yawn-athon. I won’t inflict Rush on you but here are the Doors. Knock yourselves out, kids!
NARยฉ2024
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.
Get A Grip: An Ovi Peace Rap
Written for Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – ‘safety’
and Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge – ‘blue’. Here’s my piece.

What the hell, are you nuts
You trying to prove you got guts
Spare me the ifs, ands or buts
This is a big mistake, dude
Listen man, Iโm doing fine
Iโm in the zone, behind the line
My head is clear, my thoughts are mine
Just go somewhere and chill
You ainโt got a safety net
Is this some sort of crazy bet
Youโre gonna kill yourself yet
You got a wife and kid at home
Blue skies, nothing is amiss
Clouds float by like lazy fish
Believe me, I have no death wish
Iโve never felt so free
You may think you got a grip
All it takes is one small slip
A twitchy little fingertip
You wonโt survive the fall
This world is one insane rat race
We should respect our brother’s space
And live our days in peace and grace
It could be as simple as that
NARยฉ2024
This is โMr. Blue Skyโ by ELO
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.
Move Over!
Written for Stream of Consciousness Saturday where
we are asked to feature the word “move”. Here’s my stream.

Here it is …. the so-called unofficial start of summer …. and we’re celebrating Memorial Day once again in my neck of the woods โ Southern Westchester County in New York. In case youโre not familiar with the area, Manhattan is about a 45-minute drive south โ far enough away for us to be in the suburbs but close enough to get into NYC for a show or dinner if we want to. Weโre approximately an hour from Jones Beach heading east out to Long Island and 2 hours from the Catskill Mountains up north.
Weโre in a nice spot and weโve loved living here for 45+ years but we often bring up the topic of making a move. And why would we do that if itโs so nice here? Two big reasons: stupid-high property taxes and ever-increasing congestion.
Our little village was exactly that when we moved here; now the population has exploded and every family member old enough to drive has a car. We live on a very quiet cul de sac and never think about the congestion in town until we actually have to go to town. What used to be a 5 minute drive to the supermarket or post office is now triple that (or more) because of the number of cars, trucks and school buses on the move .โฆ and letโs not even start talking about road work! Thereโs construction everywhere we look and some of it takes years to accomplish. By then, itโs time to start repairs again! Move it!
So, if we did decide to leave New York, the big question is โฆ. where would we move to? I have no idea! It seems like everyone complains about the same problems of high taxes and too much congestion no matter where they live. Besides, the physical act of clearing out the house, packing up, moving and relocating at this stage of our lives is daunting; I can barely manage packing for vacation!
Things to think about, for sure. For now, I think Iโll move out onto the deck, sit in my lounge chair, drink my iced tea and listen to the birds. Bill will light the grill around 2PM; now that you know where I live, cโmon over!
It’s time to roll out some Nat King Cole and “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer”!
NARยฉ2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.