Porthole

Old Polls

Father, dear father... (June 24, 2021)

1. Father, forgive me. For hours I have tried cleaning up the blood you spilled to no avail.
2. Sister, go get Father. Mother Thomas just chopped off her finger.
3. Sonny and Sissy, Mommy and ... Father. No one dared call him Daddy or Dad.
4. Father McKenzie recited the rosary by the coffin. No one had come to the funeral.
5. "Is that God or your father at the door!" "Both ______, it's Don Corleone."
6. He had mothered his sister and fathered his brother. Now ___, who would hold him through the night?
7. His seed was spread throughout the galaxy. He was father-of-millions.
8. "Heavenly Father, we beseech thee to show us a sign." The bomb explosion left only pieces of flesh.
9. "Why do you laugh?" "I fathered three sons, none of them as cocky as my daughter Annie."

If you could choose, which prompt would you write to?

1. one vote.
4. three votes.

Psalm 109:8 T-shirt Controversy Poll

Psalm 109:8 42 votes, 1208 views. November 20, 2009.

8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

Note: This is the King James Version. Pick whichever version you prefer.

There have been T-shirts printed with the message: Pray for Obama: Psalms 109:8.

What does this mean? (link to my blog entry: "Psalm 109:8 and Exodus 22:18" )

What does this mean to YOU?

It is a terrorist act calling for his assasination. 11 Votes 26.2%
This is a prayer AGAINST Obama. 9 Votes 21.4%
I don't ever want to see one. 7 Votes 16.7%
Obama as a president needs our prayers. 5 Votes 11.9%
You Americans are crazy. 4 Votes 9.5%
Obama should be replaced as soon as possible. 3 Votes 7.1%
It is a patriotic act calling for a return to sanity. 2 Votes 4.8%
I want to wear one myself. 1 Vote 2.4%
This is a prayer FOR Obama. 0 Votes 0.0%


Once in a basement...a long way down... June 17, 2021. 67 views, 23 votes.

Can you write a prompt? What is best? Suspense dangling, strong emotions, something unexpected, a thought unfinished, a vivid image? I was given the phrase 'bargain basement bin' once in Tulsa and in 20 minutes wrote "'bargain basement bin'" .

The task given to me is to write a prompt based on basement (not cellar). At least I know what one is; although, I grew up in a home without one.

Without further ado:

6 vote 1. In the back of the basement a closet, behind old tools a hidden door, on the other side of the door a passage way... and a distant light wavering.

1 vote 2. When the basement flooded Floyd lost his man cave and his manhood. He cried like the little boy who watched his playhouse burn down.

2 vote 3. Below the basement parking lot a sub-basement, below the sub-basement... "How many levels does this go down? It seems to be getting hotter."

1 vote 4. "Let's go downstairs where it's cooler." Mike and his friends continued their session of D&D in the basement until the ground shook and the house caved in.

4 vote 5. Kai hid behind the jar of pickled beets while Mork hung from a thread. A plaintive meow came from a box in the basement corner.

2 vote 6. No one ever entered the basement. A monster lived there. And as long as no one bothered him, Noel didn't bother to moan.

4 vote 7. I was visiting Italy and sticking my nose into everything. "This basement seems ancient", I whispered to myself. "That's because we're catacombs and you're stepping on my finger."

1 vote 8. "Abase not myself?" I let out a maniacal laugh. Chained to the basement wall it was all I could manage as a window squeaked open.

2 vote 9. Susan and Kelly wandered from basement to basement. They had been banished from the attics by Miss McEnany, the Headless Head Ghost.

Which would inspire you to write? Winner: #1 with 6 votes out of 23.

1. In the back of the basement a closet, behind old tools a hidden door, on the other side of the door... 6 Votes 26.1%
5. Kai hid behind the jar of pickled beets... A plaintive meow came from a box in the basement corner. 4 Votes 17.4%
7. I was visiting Italy and sticking my nose into everything. "This basement seems ancient", ... 4 Votes 17.4%
3. Below the basement parking lot a sub-basement, below the sub-basement... "How many levels does... 2 Votes 8.7%
6. No one ever entered the basement. A monster lived there. And as long as no one bothered him, Noel didn't... 2 Votes 8.7%
9. Susan and Kelly wandered from basement to basement. They had been banished from the attics by Miss ... 2 Votes 8.7%
2. When the basement flooded Floyd lost his man cave and his manhood. He cried like the little boy who watched ... 1 Vote 4.3%
4. "Let's go downstairs where it's cooler." They continued their session of D&D in the basement... 1 Vote 4.3%
8. "Abase not myself?" I let out a maniacal laugh. Chained to the basement wall it was all I could... 1 Vote 4.3%

Oh, Hummingbird! Sing it.



Your task is to write to the prompt: hummingbird. Which story would you tell?

1. Dumbo came in to have his ears adjusted. They were stuck in reverse. "Can you make them go in all directions? I want to hover like a hummingbird."

2. At the Dawn of Understanding you visit us and give us hope. Enjoy the nectar of the day. Oh Hummingbird, don't fly away. 2 votes

3. A shimmer streaked across the yard from a patch of hollyhocks to poke its beak into a trumpet flower vining over the backyard gate. Patches meowed. Is it you, Anna or is it Rufous? Ruby at the hummingbird feeder wants to know. 1 vote

4. "Yes, I impaled him. Yes, I sucked all the blood out of him." Interviewing Vlad's pet hummingbird was proving to be interesting. 1 vote

5. It happened at Hummingbird and Hollyhock. Spot and Tiger got into a spat... until Officer Pete the showed up and shooed them away. "Nothing to see here folks." He folded his irridescent wings to take notes. Anna, the local hummer, appeared to be in shock. Ruby was dead. 1 vote

6. Adam laughed. "I want to float like a hummingbird and sting like a bee." Mabel snorted. "You can start by getting your fat ass off the couch and bring me a..."

7. The vesper bells announced the hour as four o'clocks spread their frilly skirts, flashing red and gold at each client passing by. Fred kept watch. Louis, the local bad-ass saberwing, was sure to show up.

8. He embroidered each throat in ruby red, each wing in irridescent green. He had promised his sister a shawl of one hundred hummingbirds. They twittered too late, too late, too late. 4 votes

9. Ruby Lee told Ruby Mae that Ruby Grace had gone missing... and the hollyhocks too! The Hummingbird Society was shocked. They called Inspector Rufous James to investigate.

So... which would you choose? #8 wins with 4 votes out of 9.