Written for Sadjeβs What Do You See # 259.
This is my response … a Reverse Dectina.
Tag: What Do You See
To Kiss Your Lips: A Dectina Refrain
Written for Sadjeβs What Do You See # 258,
this is my Dectina Refrain response.
Come,
my love,
lie with me
on the cool grass
beneath the pear tree,
Read love sonnets to me
till I grow warm with desire.
Now the wine has gone to my head
and I ache to feel your lips on mine.
Come, my love, lie with me on the cool grass
NARΒ©2024
#WDYS
This is βShut Up and Kiss Meβ by Mary Chapin Carpenter
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.
I’ve Given Up: A Dectina Refrain
Written for Sadje’s What Do You See #253
Out!
Go on!
Take your stuff
and hit the road.
You are not wanted
around here anymore.
You broke my heart with your lies.
I abhor the feel of your mouth.
My bed is not big enough for three!
Out! Go on! Take your stuff and hit the road.
NARΒ©2024
#WDYS
This is βDonβt Come Around Here No Moreβ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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.
Noble Spirit
Written for Weekend Writing Prompt #370,
incorporating the word ‘pirate’ in a story of exactly 74 words.
Also for Thursday Inspiration #234 – ‘No Matter What/Nothing’,
What Do You See #242 (#WDYS) and Weekly Prompts –
The One-Day Prompt (3). Here is my story in exactly 74 words.
The fiery battle raged for days; in the end Evalyn, the Pirate Goddess, was victorious β¦ but at what cost?
While fighting on deck, there was a sudden cannon retort followed by grapeshot finding its mark β¦ Evalynβs beautiful face. Her eyes were spared but she was disfigured.
That one day changed Evalyn into a stronger woman. For her, nothing else mattered.
Fashioning a mask of solid gold, she became Evalyn, the Noble Pirate.
NARΒ©2024
74 Words
This is βNothing Else Mattersβ by Metallica
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.
Forever Home
Sadje is asking us What Do You See – #241
Here is my response.
Itβs 8AM at the humane society and all the residents are enjoying their freshly cleaned digs, and that means nice crisp newspapers lining the floor, just in case. Accidents happen, you know!
Today theyβre in for a special treat; the papers are opened to the birth announcements page!
All the pups are besotted by the photo of a beautiful baby with big blue eyes. Sure looks like a playful and happy little tyke! They stare longingly at the baby’s photo, wistfully talking among themselves about the greatest thing that could happen to them, the one thing that would change their lonely doggie lives β¦. to be adopted and to find themselves in a new forever home with a special friend to play with and grow up with …. just like this little guy.
βIt sure would be swell, wouldnβt it?β they ask each other, visions of blankets, chew toys and bouncy rubber balls swirling in their heads. βMaybe today will be our lucky day!β
At 9AM the humane society opens its doors to the public and a few families start streaming in. Most of the parents are being tugged by eager kids hoping to find a best friend to share their home and their lives. Everyone is optimistic and excited.
Today is a big day …. maybe it will be their lucky day!
NARΒ©2024
#WDYS
Shelter dogs react to being adopted. Don’t shop …. adopt!
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.
Nancy, Enchanted
Written for Sadje’s What Do You See #240
Come in, little one. Youβve nothing to fear from me. Donβt be shy now. Come away from the door where you are peeking and step inside. This is my enchanted place, my special magic space.
Thatβs it, child, one step at a time. Look around to your heartβs content. Thereβs nothing bad here. But I must caution you not to touch anything. The time will come for that and you must be patient.
Ah, I see youβve noticed my book. Itβs lovely, isnβt it? I donβt suppose youβve ever seen one quite like it, have you? You have many questions, little one. Theyβre in you eyes, in the slight tilt of your head and the almost imperceptible upturn of your lips. Itβs pleasing, is it not, this little book of mine?
Itβs magic, you know. But then again, in the right hands, all books are magic. Yes itβs true. You hold the key, child. Not in your pocket or inside your shoe but in your mind and in your heart.
Come closer, child. Read from the book, listen to what it tells you. Enchanting, isnβt it? No need to touch, my dear. The pages will turn themselves.
I know what youβre thinking. Where can you get such a wondrous book? Am I right? I knew it! Theyβre all around you, child! Everywhere! But I have something special to share with you. Come close to hear my secret. Let me whisper in your ear.
My dear, not only can you read these beguiling pages. You can write them! Imagine the places you will visit, child.
Thereβs nothing to fear, little one. Simply step inside the blue bubble and all will become clear to you. Thatβs it, child. Step inside the magic land of books and dreams and amazing ideas. Itβs a captivating place. Enchanting, isnβt it?
NARΒ©2024
#WDYS
Dedicated to my 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Romana Paschal, who encouraged me to write and whispered in my ear to reach for the all the dreams, little and big.
This is βDream Weaverβ by Gary Wright
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
Feeling Mortal
Written for Six Sentence Story (“grain”)
and What Do You See #237
Why do I feel so pointless
As a broken vessel to be cast away;
My mark fades now on this true Earth
These eyes are turning from blue to gray.
Why do I feel so shattered
As a window looking far into the Sun;
My words sinking away to the shadows
These eyes beholding the kingdom come.
Why do I feel so useless
As a bag torn and spilling grain;
My mouth confiding forbidden secrets
These eyes downcast in shame.
Why do I feel so helpless
As a bird with a broken wing;
My heart becomes hollow and empty
These eyes searching for a soul to cling.
Why do I feel so unloved
As a beast of burden before the blade;
My hands are cut to the bone and bleeding
These eyes they close in a dream of shade.
Why do I feel so mortal
As a child who is born only to die;
My tongue it tastes the salt of the shore
These eyes have drowned in tears to cry.
NARΒ©2024
This is βBroken Wingsβ by Mr. Mister
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantβs Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NARΒ©2017-present.
I’m Sorry: A Dectina Refrain
Written for Sadje’s What Do You See #232
Iβm
sorry
for the things
I said and did.
Thereβs no greater pain
than brothers grown apart.
How I have prayed for this day
when we put our anger to rest
and cried βI love you, my dear brotherβ.
Iβm sorry for the things I said and did.
NARΒ©2024
#WDYS
This is βIβm Sorryβ by John Denver
Dectina Refrain:
This poem is written as follows:
1st line β 1 syllable, 2nd line β 2 syllables
3rd line β 3 syllables, and so on for 9 lines;
the 10th line is comprised of the first four lines
and is a stand-alone 10-syllable line.
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.
Transgression
Written for Sadjeβs “What Do You See” #230 – March 18, 2024
The young man, rail thin and incredibly tall, ran through the courtyard like a gangling, indelicate giraffe. One hand planted firmly on his head kept his cap from flying off β¦. a common occurrence .β¦ while the other hand jutting out to his side performed the function of a human rudder keeping him on course. An over-large cowl flapped disobediently from one shoulder to the other. On his feet he wore simple sandals and his spindly legs took giant strides in an exaggerated attempt to keep them on his feet.
From a distance he could have easily been mistaken for an apoplectic ostrich.
A quick glance at the sun and the shadows cast by the stone columns confirmed what the young man already knew β he was late. Again. He quickened his pace, awkwardly darting between the pillars, and spied the grated entrance to his right. He flew toward it, nearly falling flat on his face onto the cobblestones beneath his feet.
The young man flung open the gate and quickly entered, hunching over to prevent his head from hitting the doorframe. He stood for a few seconds in the shadows to collect himself, then quietly opened the chapel door and slipped into the one empty space at the end of the stone bench.
None of his brothers dared acknowledge his late arrival but he knew he would be called to task for this transgression.
NARΒ©2024
NB: When I saw Sadje’s photo prompt, I was immediately reminded of The Cloisters in the Bronx, NY, an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s a fascinating place which I have visited many times. To take a look inside The Met Cloisters, click here.
#WDYS
This is Gregorian Chant Music β βMonks of the Monasteryβ
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.
KUKLA HUGS
Today Sadje is asking us
“What do you see?“
Using her image along with
Eugi’s word prompt “boundless”
and Fandango’s word prompt “back”,
this is my response.
I stand at the doorway and watch
as she stretches her legs from her car seat
in the back of her daddyβs car,
grunting with that Little Engine That Could determination
until her fur-trimmed black ankle boots finally reach the curb.
With the boundless spirit of a 3 year old,
she runs up the path to our front door,
stops for a second to wave at our North Pole decorations,
and gaily calls out βGrammy! Grampy! Itβs your Kukla! I’m here!” β¦.
my nickname for our youngest granddaughter, Colette.
She flings herself into my arms
and we share a big warm Kukla Hug.
Her hugs are the best and I don’t want to let go.
Eyes smiling, she excitedly tells me
she saw Santa and the elves outside
and asks if we can bake Christmas cookies today.
Every day with her really is
the most wonderful time of the year.
NAR Β© 2023
This is Pentatonix with βThe Most Wonderful Time Of The Yearβ
Please join us today
for a very special
holiday edition of
“Be Our Guest”.
https://rhythmsection.blog/
IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE
Today Sadje is asking us “What do you see?”
Here’s my take on this photo prompt.
βHold it right there, Bitsy. Where are you going with Sissy’s lion?β
βI donβt wanna talk βbout it.β
βOk, but it might make you feel better if you do.β
βNuthinβs gonna make it better.β
βNothing, eh? Well, that sounds like a mighty big problem.β
βIt is, Grammy.β
βYou know, big problems become small ones when you share them with someone.β
βReally?β
βOh, sure! Why don’t you share your problem with me?”
βMr. Lion’s ear came off.”
βI see. And youβre afraid Sissy will find out, right?β
βRight.β
βCan I take a look at Mr. Lion?β
βNo. I don’t want you to.β
βNot even if I can fix his ear? Remember when I fixed your bunny’s tail?β
βIβm just gonna hide Mr. Lion.β
βOk, thatβs a good idea, Bitsy β¦. until Sissy comes home from school.β
βSissyβs gonna be real sad.β
βI think youβre right about that, Bitsy.β
βCan you really fix him, Grammy?β
βWell, I wonβt know until I take a look.β
βOk, here.β
βHmm. You know, I think I have this color thread in my sewing box.β
βYou do?β
βI think so but I have a big problem, Bitsy. I have trouble seeing the eye of the needle to get it threaded. Can you help me?β
βI can do that!β
βGreat! Mr. Lion will be good as new.β
βAnd Sissy wonβt ever know!β
βNow just a minute, Bitsy. You still have to tell Sissy.β
βBut why, Grammy?β
βBecause you were playing with Sissyβs lion behind her back. Thatβs sneaky and not a good way to behave. You understand, Bitsy? Itβs important.β
βI guess.β
βOk. Letβs work on this together.β
βGrammy, can we have ice cream?β
βWe sure can β¦. just as soon as Sissy gets home.β
NAR Β© 2023
What do you see # 212- 13 November, 2023
This is “It’s A Jungle Out There” by Randy Newman:
Please stop by
The Rhythm Section
today as we celebrate
Birthday Thursdays.
There will be ice cream!
π¨
https://rhythmsection.blog/
BARREN FIELDS
I’m writing this letter to you, Mother, knowing it will never be sent; you’re gone now so there is no one to send it to but still, some words needed to be said.
We scattered your ashes by that old tree that stands alone in a barren field, the tree you always compared yourself to whenever we drove by; how many times did I have to hear you make a comment about that damn tree?
It was rough growing up thinking I was unloved by you and there were times I hated you for that; for years I thought it was something I had done but now realize it was something you couldn’t do β let your guard down and your emotions out and show me a mother’s love.
My teen years were the turning point for me because I got out of the house and freed myself of the strange power you had over me; how I resented you and your aloofness …. so many years wasted …. and now as I look back, I feel sorry for you because you chose to keep yourself deeply rooted behind the walls you built.
I remember once overhearing a fight you had with Dad, an argument about how it was β as you put it β ‘unmanly’ of him to dote over me; that was the only time I saw Dad get angry, shouting at you that he had to shower me with the love of two parents because you were unable or unwilling to express your love.
Well, Mother, I’m happy to say I have a warm and loving family, I’m nothing like you and I will not spend my life wondering how things could have been different if you had torn down those walls you hid behind; now you’re gone, your ashes cast into the wind, and I will be the one who will rest peacefully.
NAR Β© 2023
This is an AI Midjourney version of the song “Barren Field”:
IN TRANSIT
Bob was having a bad day.
βGreat! Just great! First I drop my phone in the toilet; now I canβt find my Magellan! Where is that dang GPS? I coulda sworn I put it in the glove box a couple of years ago. This aughta be fun, trying to figure out how to get to my sales meeting without directions. Lemme take another look.
Nope, itβs not in here but thereβs my jumper cables. Thought I lost them the time my engine died on me the night of the office Christmas party. Hot damn, that was a wild shindig! Who woulda guessed Uptight Tina from R&D could be such a temptress?
Letβs see what we got here β¦ napkins, ketchup packets, pencils, pencils, more pencils, a menu from Panda Pavilion, a roach clip. No GPS. Now hold on just a second. Whatβs this? Oh man, do my eyes deceive me? A cassette tape! Right on!! Ah, that explains all the pencils! Oh man, from the days when music was good.
Hmm, looks like one of my old homemade jobs. I wonder whatβs on it β¦ writingβs all smudged so could be anything. Well, Iβm good and lost but at least Iβll have some company on the road. Iβm just gonna slip this baby in and see what develops.
πΆπΆ πΈ πΆπΆ
Far out!! βFree Birdβ!!β
NAR Β© 2023
GOING FOR FIVE
Her parents were good people; they were just too damn young to be raising a family. They didnβt do anything wrong unless you call falling in love wrong. Should they have had unsafe sex? Of course not, but listen β weβve all gotten caught up in the heat of the moment for many reasons. Their passion resulted in an unwanted pregnancy.
For two 14 year old kids, they made a very mature decision: they put their baby girl up for adoption. They could have chosen any other avenue but they chose the right one for them and their daughter. There are so many good options available to pregnant girls and women who are not ready, not willing, not able to keep their babies. Then there are also illegal abortion mills with doctors willing to rip a fetus from the motherβs womb for a price. How do those people sleep at night?
My husband and I werenβt looking for another child; we already had three, all strawberry blondes with dove-like skin and blue eyes. Just like us. It was my sister who wanted to adopt. Desperately. When she got the call, she wept for joy β¦ until she learned Zoe was black and not a newborn but three years old. My sister said no. Flat refusal. I couldnβt believe this was the girl I grew up with. What happened to her open mind and arms, her loving heart. Theyβre still there but only for babies that look like mine.
Zoe hid behind the skirt of the lady at the adoption center. When I kneeled down and opened my arms, she looked at me very tentatively. I smiled, nodded my head and she took off like a little rabbit running straight into my arms. And we hugged like our lives depended on it; in a way, they did.
She is our daughter now and the fit was seamless, like those lovely Russian nesting dolls. Our biological children love Zoe and she loves them. And us. Weβre crazy about all our kids and wonder why we didnβt do this sooner. Zoe is our fourth daughter; we already decided weβre going for five.
One very large bedroom with three sets of bunk beds. It’s messy and noisy and all over the place but itβs a happy, beautiful thing.
NAR Β© 2023
#WDYS
Won’t you join me today
for another round of
Name That Tune?
It’s a good one!
https://rhythmsection.blog/
AN UNLIKELY HERO
Sadje has asked us “What do you see?”
Fantasy Land, May 2, 1865 β
The day started out as any ordinary sunny spring day in Fantasy Land but by noon the town was in a frenzy for the news was out that 9 year old Mary Andrews had lost her lamb, Snowflake. Mary had Snowflake for only a few months but they had become attached to each other immediately, so much so that he followed her to school every day, even though Mary knew it was against the rules.
Teacher Sarah Johnson had this to say: βMaryβs such a lovely girl and Snowflake is so sweet with his fleece as white as snow. I didnβt mind the fact that the lamb followed Mary to school because she always tied him to a nearby tree but today for some reason he followed her right into the classroom. As you can imagine all the children wanted to do was laugh and play.β
Pressed for more information, Miss Johnson went on to say that she took Snowflake outside herself and tied him to the tree but when the children went out to play, the lamb was nowhere in sight.
The three blind mice who live across the road from the school became rather indignant when questioned about the incident.Β βOf course we didnβt see anything, you fool! We’re blind as bats! But we did hear some strange noises near the tree shortly before the children came outside.β When asked to described the noises one mouse saidΒ βIt sounded like pulling or tuggingβΒ while another thought it was more like a snapping sound. The third mouse added βThere was definitely a scuffle of some sort. Poor little Snowflake.β
Maryβs parents, Abigail and Wyatt Andrews, rushed to the school to console their daughter. Mr. Andrews was visibly upset to learn that the teacher had taken Snowflake away from Mary.Β βShe had no right touching that lamb. Sheβs a school teacher, not a farmer and has no idea how to tie a proper knot. She should have asked Mary to tie Snowflake to the tree like she always does.β
Moments later Little Bo-Peep arrived on the scene and was asked her opinion on the incident. βWell, Iβve been a shepherdess for a long time now and if thereβs one thing I know itβs this: If you leave them alone theyβll come home wagging their tails behind them.β
By mid-afternoon all the townβs residents had gathered at the school and formed search parties to look for Snowflake. Even Humpty Dumpty was there, sad and terribly broken up. In all my years as a reporter Iβve never seen such an outpouring of support.
A new development as Hansel and Gretel just arrived at the school.Β βWait! We think we can help!βΒ they cried and tearfully reminded those of us still at the school of their traumatic encounter with the evil witch who held them captive in her gingerbread house. βWe all know how much Snowflake loves to eat wildflowersβΒ Hansel said. Gretel added βThe witch has flowers growing all around her house. If she get’s Snowflake to follow her there, the poor little guy wonβt stand a chance.β
With great trepidation we entered the forest and came upon the witchβs house. There she was, gnarled and bent over, dragging a bleating Snowflake behind her. βSTOP!!β the witch shrieked, βIβll kill him right before your eyes!β Suddenly, Humpty Dumpty appeared out of nowhere and ran up to Snowflake, freeing him from the witchβs clutches. Snatching Humpty, the witch cackledΒ βFine! Take your precious lamb! I don’t need him. Iβll feast on scrambled eggs all week!β and she disappeared into the dark forest with Humpty.
What an act of bravery exhibited by Humpty Dumpty! He was indeed a good egg.Β
NAR Β© 2023
The Elephant's Trunk 