And got her powers
When Eldoris turned sixteen the mage said that she would get her own powers.
Well, actually she didn’t say it as her mouth was just a thin slash in her face, but Eldoris could hear the crone clear as day.
“I wonder what it will be?” she mused in front of the fire that night. “Summoner of the weather, control of the woodland creatures, probing of the minds?”
Amidor, at seventeen, was casting spells beside her to try and turn his water into ale.
“Don’t be so bold,” he told her, taking a swig and then spitting it out in…
A ‘City Guesser’ poem…want to try one?
OK, Will Hull, I did it,
I clicked on the link…
And on a scorching day, the sight was a drink
of cool water and steep streets.
If that wasn’t a giveaway,
the Rainbow Flags were…
the Golden City I quickly inferred.
A city of seals
and the water-bound jail
of Al Capone and the other hard nails.
I wonder what it was like
to be in captivity
close to all that fun and festivity
To look across at the boats
the buildings, the bridge
at a life that for them would never be lived.
Betsy Denson, 2021
Prose Poetry Prompt: Twisted Chronology
Da plane, Da plane Tattoo called to me on the sofa. Tara didn’t realize The Love Boat was over because she was baby talking with her boyfriend, the cord wrapped so tight around her finger that the tip was as white as Mr. Roarke’s suit.
I didn’t wear white on the plane today because I was afraid that I would spill something on myself. I am always so twisted up around you. We fly in over the sea and I think about what kind of reception awaits us.
At your wedding there was a man at the bar who asked…
Humor/Satire
Science and the CDC be damned
Sure, the national public health agency of the United States is telling you as a fully vaccinated person that it is OK to take off that mask and breathe the unfettered air this summer, but what do they know? Science? Ok, yeah. But there are other very compelling reasons to keep that mask on that you may not have considered.
1.) Facial hair fakeout
This came to me when my teen son finally removed his mask and I found out that he had gone through puberty and had the mustache to prove it. …
Modern technology and old fashioned ingenuity reveal some surprising findings
Vincent Van Gogh did it and Pablo Piccaso did too. Artists painted over canvases for many reasons. Sometimes they didn’t like what they were doing. Or they couldn’t afford a new canvas. They were called ‘starving’ for a reason. But sometimes the edits were more mysterious.
First used widely in the early 20th century, X-Ray technology allowed historians to see below the “skin” of the top layer of paint. And by the early part of the 21st century, technology had advanced so that a painting could be scanned on the wall.¹
X-rays were used when curators didn’t want to alter…
I’ll bet you can guess what happens if you drink one
Not everyone knew the business as Hemlock’s Smoothies, but those that did were able to put in their specific requests.
One of these came in on a Tuesday through an encrypted phone that Anthony kept for this purpose.
Touchdown at 3. Strawberry Special. $$$ #*# !@! Yellow Tie!
“Jerry, we got a Strawberry Special at three. You’re up.”
Anthony had hired Jerry as a favor for Carmelo Brambilla who rightly said his nephew was di nessun valore.
So far, the kid had left a week’s worth of delivered produce out in the alley. None of it was salvageable and the…
Your kids might have some questions
Hello Handler Honeybees!
I wanted to send you an e-mail as a follow-up to our zoo field trip. We were lucky to be able to manage an actual outing at the end of this crazy year and we had a WONDERFUL time. I did however want to bring something to your attention in case your kiddos had some questions this evening.
The meerkat enclosure has long been a favorite of my classes and I was eager for my little honeybees to see these cute little creatures frolic. What I didn’t realize — you learn something new every day as a…
I’m always learning something new on this platform
Time for my monthly roundup of successful stories (judged by reader views and responses) and ones that I wish had gotten more traction.
1.) Getting High on Grammarly
Gonna start on a high note. I wrote this in under an hour and once accepted by The Haven it started getting some love, including from Medium, who gave it wider distribution.
2.) It’s the Big Reveal on Home Sweet Home
You know when you write something and you’re like, this is going to be BIG—and then it gets published and the platform is like, meh? That is this piece and I am still wondering how I could have done it better. I love MuddyUm and…
Don’t worry, I’m not hitting you up for a loan
The photo of the dog was just to (hopefully) get your attention.
I recently started two publications, both about history. I did this because I want to post each week, maybe twice a week and I didn’t think I’d be able to do that on some of the great Medium history publications that already exist.
I have 5 followers on one and 3 on the other. Two of those might be my mom. You gotta start somewhere.
If you enjoy reading about interesting tidbits from history, volatile artists, stolen treasure, and general human brilliance and folly, please follow one (or…
It’s not hard and it adds another dimension to the work
As someone who enjoys listening to podcasts and books on tape, I was pleasantly gobsmacked when J.A. Taylor posted this prompt in Centina Pentina.
An audio Medium story? Yes, please. But I didn’t follow the above prompt because I thought it would be too hard. Then I listened to Mark Starlin’s The Jazz Guitarist No One Listened To. It was so enjoyable to hear the voice of someone whose stories I enjoy reading.
So I resolved to try it myself. Start to finish, it took me ten minutes to record and upload my pieces. …
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