C.P.’s Comments (group member since Jun 26, 2015)

C.P.’s comments from the Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! group.

You too, M!

Thanks, Garrison! I've missed being around and hopefully I can have a more regular appearance here.

I've been gone for forever... sorry about that. But I saw this prompt pop up when I came on here the other day and it inspired this little piece. Hope you enjoy and feedback is always welcome.

they smeared
his face
with sticky paint
gave him a
ghastly smile
tied red ribbons
to his ears,
tin cans
around his feet
wherever he goes
you hear him come
and all the
children scream

You have until August 31 to post a poem, and from September 1-7 we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a poem previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your poem can be any length.

This week’s topic is: stuck in the mud.

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a poem about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

Thank you to Maria for suggesting the topic!

You have until August 31 to post a story, and from September 1-7 we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a story previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your story should be between 300 and 3,500 words long.

REMEMBER! A short story is not merely a scene. It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

This week’s topic is: stuck in the mud.

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a story about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

Thank you to Maria for suggesting the topic!

Welcome, Victor!

Love the topic, M! Thanks for posting the new contests!

Glad to have you back, Ajay!

It looks like we will have a freeze, or very close to it, the next two nights here in Northern South Carolina!

fools

we're all fools
in April
her promise
of spring
lulling us to
complacency
before a late
freeze kills
our flowering
dreams

You have until April 15 to post a poem, and from April 16-22 we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a poem previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your poem can be any length.

This week’s topic is: April Fools

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a poem about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

You have until April 15 to post a story, and from April 16-22 we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a story previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your story should be between 300 and 3,500 words long.

REMEMBER! A short story is not merely a scene. It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

This week’s topic is: April Fools

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a story about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

Thank you, M :) And yes, very difficult to pick! Which is always a great problem to have.

I'm glad he'll be back for that!

This is well expressed, Billie Jo. I'm sorry he has to be away for training!

You have until March 31 to post a poem, and from April 1-7 we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a poem previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your poem can be any length.

This week’s topic is: March Madness

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a poem about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

You have until March 31 to post a story, and from April 1-7 we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a story previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your story should be between 300 and 3,500 words long.

REMEMBER! A short story is not merely a scene. It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

This week’s topic is: March Madness

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a story about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

Thank you, Nicky. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

The Daffodils

We were seeds when she planted us, her tears our first nourishment as she sowed us into soft ground. The sea sang from below, her waves lapping the shore, the salt of her expanse mixing with the tears that fell from our loving planter's cheeks.

Under the ground on that seaside mound, we listened each day for the sound of our planter. Her steps were those of bare feet through wispy grass from late spring and through the summer. She talked to him but we felt her love too. Remembrances of days now past, of love shared and laughter. The days were long and she would stay into the night, the ground over us her pillow and bed.

Then autumn came and the days grew chill, soon giving way to winter. Her steps were now muffled in boots and the grass crunched where she walked. She never stayed long, shivering in the biting breeze from the sea, but her love never wavered and each end was a promise for another beginning.

So the seasons cycled year after year and finally we heard her exclamation of joy the first time we greeted her with our flowers. She stroked each delicate petal and told him of our resilience and strength. She picnicked with us and lay on the bed we had made to the sun set by the ocean.

As time wore on she no longer came alone. Instead of talking to him she shared memories with her companion. We listened in vain on some days as her visits dwindled to a handful a month and then to only a few times a year.

We continued to grow on our mound and somehow we knew it was better this way. The memories of him were sweet we knew, but short, and she had much more life to live. She had given him us for when she had to go as a reminder that her love was everlasting.

Years passed, decades slipped by and she never came. We were just a small mound of daffodils on a hill overlooking the sea. Then she returned, our loving and faithful planter. Her steps were not light or sure, her breaths no longer came easy. But we knew her touch and the caress of her voice when she told him it was almost time to see him again.

And now we're alone with the sea, filled with human memories.

Thank you, Nicky!