Was that a Firetruck?
Bev sat on the metal lawn chair she kept on her front porch, bouncing a bit, idly swatting mosquitoes who were attracted to her fat arms, and considering her next snack, even though it pained her knees to pull herself to her feet. Her iced tea had gone watery, and her magazine was so boring that she nodded off. In her dream she was young again. A yellow striped sundress blew against her shapely legs. As she walked down the sidewalk, her transistor radio played, “I Got You Babe” but for some reason Cher was out of tune and apparently traveling by at a fast clip. Bev pried open her eyes. She thought she smelled smoke.
Odd Holiday Events
The Winter Solstice brings together a number of religious and holiday traditions, including welcoming the New Year. These celebrations typically involve families gathering, perhaps some gift giving, a variety of parties (both at work and with friends) and lots of eating. No two people in the world have the same experience of the holidays. I’d like to hear about an odd holiday event from your past. It can be a unique tradition, an unusual memory, or even something best forgotten. Take us with you into a weird holiday scene. Fiction and nonfiction are both welcome!
Grocery Store
It’s part of your routine, I suspect, those frequent trips to the grocery store. But though routine, only you visit the grocery store in your own unique way. It’s a story; it’s a poem; it’s a tragedy; it’s a memoir; it’s a comic riff on life these days. I’ll post one of my trips to the grocery store to get you started, but I’m sure you have your own grocery story to share. Grocery Store My favorite reality check is when I leave the grocery store, pushing my cart with its many brown bags. The automatic doors open and the sky greets me. The blacktop of the parking lot meets my feet. I like to check in at that moment, noting if my hands are tight on the bar of the cart so I won’t scream or perhaps melt into the pavement. Other days, my heart leaps to the beauty of the clouds. Sometimes I am drawn to the sight of other shoppers whose lives I do not have to live. That woman so heavy her gait is a struggle That man with the loosened tie who hawks and spits That gray-haired, firm-jawed man with pain visible in each uneven step That mother herding children who are whining about what they want Then I’m back inside myself—my own legs moving, cart rolling, my car in sight, another day I’m in. And I’m alive today, each step, this one at the grocery store, again.
That Old Hat
That old hat turned up on the bus driver’s head on the same day he slammed his fist into the fat lady’s briefcase. I’ve seen that hat before, I thought.
Survival Tactics
You live in a five by eight foot concrete block room with a locked door, one small window above head-height. Meals and clothing are provided for you. You have a cot, commode, sink, a tiny desk, and one metal chair. You get one hour outside per day, with others of your gender, but the guards do not allow you to talk. You will be released in 2030. You can have five personal items. How do you survive?
Can You Write Seven Sentences that Make NO Sense?
It’s hard. Themes want to emerge. Humans have an urge toward meaning. Trees want to be guardians. The moon is a sister. Peanut butter turns out to be a memory of childhood. Even the damn cracked concrete driveway suggests a journey. But perhaps we can stimulate our creativity backwards by adding the pressure of resisting meaning, of not bowing to the urge to let those associations and connections come. Here are mine. Complete sentences only! Let me ponder yours. I would like that. Bark is blood. Rebecca hands down rubber band wraps. Brilliant, dried up sandwich meat drives off. Oxen sunshine wins the pickle. Father Betty put gloves on stools. Falling face powder signals a new peace. Add up all the mouse trap do-overs. Can you do this?
To Do List Fiction
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to create a To Do list that, when read, tells us a story. Keep in mind that To Do lists can have multiple parts or sections, that they do change from day to day, with things often crossed out, and that they are typically something we use but don’t share and therefore tend to be not only personal, but often secret. Good exercise in subtext and “showing, not telling.” Dive in!
You Can Tell the Future
We’re writers, and we make things up. I think we can predict the future too, if we put our minds to it. Pick one or more of the futures on this list and let us know how you see the future. The future of bowling alleys The future of carpools The future of BBQ The future of carnivals The future of the courts The future of pets The future of magic.
More Galumphing for You
The Undergod The round and round A phobia Stubbed toe
Back to School
It’s that time of year. Thoughts may turn to school supplies, the end of freedom, the return of friends you haven’t seen. This time of year may mean you’re sending a child off to college, knowing it’s the beginning of the end of their life as a daily family member. You may be facing classes yourself, in one of the many forms now available for learning. Do you have any stories about going to school? Share them here!