Scintillating Saturday Share #18

Night Sky|Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

dance of white hope
in darkest hour

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It’s never truly dark out out there. Somehow, one way or another, you can still see the clouds, floating in the night sky.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Every Saturday, I will share a photo that touches my heart, makes me happy, or lifts my spirits in some way. The purpose? To send love, light, peace, and kindness out into the ether. Scintillating Saturdays: one definition of the word scintillating is as follows: witty; brilliantly clever.”

Now, it’s your turn. This’ll be our “Scintillating Saturday Share #18.” You can respond to this post, reblog and respond, or create a standalone post of your own, but please ping or tag this post so that I’ll know to read and respond to yours.

Using up to 7 words, tell me what this photo sparks in you.

Care to get creative with me for this scintillating Saturday share?

Prompt: Scintillating Saturday Share #18

Weekend Writing Prompt #113 – Enthral

Photo by rovenimages.com on Pexels.com

Fireworks used to enthral him, brief moments of art in night sky; now, they are distractions. The audience is screaming with joy as the fireworks go off.

He pulls back his hood, unzips his jacket and takes out a detonator. He is ready for his own fireworks.

The screams of joys turn into horror.

(54 words)

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When I read Maxine Hong Kongston’s books, especially The Fifth Book of Peace and Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book, I became interested in the lives of veterans, not during the war, but when they returned. How do they rebuild their lives after the horrors they have witnessed? How can they bear to face a life which appears mundane to us but is full of triggers for them?

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

The challenge is simple: each week you will be given an exact number of words you can use to write a poem or piece of prose.  You can use any format or style you like; go wherever your inspiration takes you.  The only rules are these:

• your poem / prose must contain this week’s word.  The word does not have to count towards the exact word count total – it can be in the title, or the first letters of the lines of a poem can spell it out – you can be as creative as you want as long as it’s there somewhere.
• the length of your poem / prose must match the number of words stated in this week’s challenge.  No more.  No less.

Prompt: Weekend Writing Prompt #113 – Enthral

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #29

No one hears the screams in the night. Everyone is oblivious to the agony. But if you listen closely, you will hear.

The quiet scream of the wick as the candle burns, crackling in the dark night. Soon, the sunlight rises and the torture ends but merely a reprieve.

As the flames are blown out, the smoke winks at the candle.

I’ll be back, it seems to say, for you tonight. Be ready.

The candle will be ready.

Are you?

(81 words)

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to my weekly challenge—open to all—just for FUN, FUN, FUN

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

• An answering photo
• A cartoon
• A joke
• A caption
• An anecdote
• A short story (flash fiction)
• A poem
• A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
• An essay
• A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

• Your creative offering is indeed yours
• Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
If you tag it #CCC others should be able to find it by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN.

Prompt: Crimson’s Creative Challenge #29

April 25: Flash Fiction Challenge

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

Life of a Teacher

Exhaustion saunters into the vaults of my mind and finds a comfortable place to rest.

Life of a teacher invites both joy and frustration; joy at students’ progress and frustration at the school administration.

The ambivalent feeling occurs when I help students to graduate from both school and immaturity into adulthood. But as the students flourish in the real world, I get upset because of the amount of responsibility dumped onto me.

“You are a good teacher. Competent teachers do more work.”

Time gets upset and moves out of the way as exhaustion takes up residency.

I am tired.

(99 words)

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

April 25, 2019, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes exhaustion. Who is exhausted and why? Can you make art of exhaustion? Go where the prompt leads!

Respond by April 30, 2019. Use the comment section below to share, read and be social. You may leave a link, pingback or story in the comments. If you want to be published in the weekly collection, please use the form.  Rules & Guidelines.

Prompt: April 25: Flash Fiction Challenge

Three Line Tales, Week 169

Title: For Survival

He did not dare to make a sound and breathe lightly, for the zombies were crossing in front of his car.

His foot slowly eased on the brake and he suddenly stepped on the accelerator, howling gleefully as he mowed down the zombies before they could get to him.

Screams filled the night as the survivors and witnesses scrambled for their safety from the lunatic behind the wheels.

(3 lines)

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I think there are many people who have explored the negative effects of the apocalyptic genre but I still decided to go with this story. The trick is not telling the story; the trick is telling the story in three lines. Overall though, I quite like the product.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

You’ll find full guidelines on the TLT page – here’s the tl;dr:

• Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
• Link back to this post (& check the link shows up under the weekly post).
• Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
• Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
• Have fun.

Prompt: Three Line Tales, Week 169

Am I Human?

Illustration by Michal Dziekan

I am cheerful.
I am jocular.
Only when I am
with people.

But on paper,
I don’t know
how not to be sad
how to show happiness

My previous happy event
seemed surreal,
my next happy event
is nowhere in sight.

I am simply
an empty vessel
with heavy heart.

And worse of all?
I don’t know
how to function
like a normal person.

But I know
how to curl up
like a baby,
or how familiar
that sinking feeling is
in my chest cavity.

So don’t talk to me,
don’t console me,
just walk along
to see what I see.

That’s all I ask for.