 It was a busy day. I step into the soft light of the after-dinner kitchen where the dishes are done and the countertops are wiped clean and find the exhale I've been chasing all day. MICRO-MEMOIR - It was a good day, not a bad day.
Just busy. This feeling sweeps over me after busy days, and holidays, too. When all the hustling, running, and doing slows down. Days when things finally stop ... because the day has come to an end. This one sentence micro-memoir could be expanded, but I like the idea that it captures that sweet, familiar moment when nothing more needs to be done ... or said.
4 Comments
  The apples with fancy names like Opalescent and Royal, shimmer like baubles under the bright lights of the Exhibition Hall. The sheep in the pen in the stable startles us with its bleating, and we laugh at ourselves. BaaAAAaaa! In the Show Barn, the spotted calves wrestle and writhe against their adolescent handlers, and one, like a toddler having a temper tantrum, drops to its bony bovine knees. Pies, knitted hats and mittens, quilts, canned goods, and fudgy brownies stack up against one another in row after row of entries. From pigs to pumpkins and photography, the biggest and the best get the blue ribbon. But win, place, or not, the effort was made, and in one way or another, they're all winners at the county fair.  Get a weeks' worth of story ideas for letters, personal essays, and activities!
 With their
belted parkas, buffalo plaids, fleece collars, and quilted hoodies fashion-forward pound puppies, pugs, terriers, hounds, and retrievers prance and strut the sidewalk like it's Fashion Week. As they brace against winter's cold in their canine couture, they set tongues, and tails, to wagging. ----------------- While winter is suppose to be cold, this winter has been unusually cold. Below average temperatures, with windchill temperatures dipping into the single digits. It's no wonder we're seeing more dogs wearing jackets. No doubt the jackets helps keep the dogs warm , but something tells me the fashion is more for the person at the other end of the lease.  the overnight storm fills the sky with snow and and blankets the ground in white, lighting the night like a full moon lantern When I woke during the night, the room was filled with soft light and the windows had a glow about them. I knew it wasn't the moon, it was obscured by cloud cover. It was snow in the air, on the trees, and the ground illuminating the landscape.
When something catches your attention, use it as a prompt, a way to capture the moment ... with a photograph, a drawing, or in this case, collage+poetry. It's a short poem and a simple collage. Simplicity can sometimes break the barrier to creativity and give you a place to begin. Start small, and see what happens.  He gathers his boots, buckets,
and creepers. Grabs his pack basket, traps, hand auger, and sled, and stops on the way for bait. He warms himself drilling through the ice, inches thick, until he breaks through to the water below. He baits the hook, drops the line through the hole, sets the flag, and depending on the lake or pond he's on, begins to imagine. The bass, trout, salmon, pickerel, or perch swimming under the surface. But it's a waiting game, where patience braces against anticipation, and the cold. When a flag is tripped, he wonders, is it a wind flag, stolen bait, or is there a fish on the line? Hand over hand he hauls the line feeling for the resistance that will tell him, fish on. And so begins a real fish tale. |
WhistleStop Blog
Pausing to explore small wins and wonder in short stories and poems 
Join Waystation Whistle and get stories, inspiration, and the Story Starters Calendar every Sunday.
It's free! Categories
All
|