I'm always amazed at the creativity the contests on WDC and the creativity of the entries.
For this contest, you had to have only 24 syllables and you not only met the requirements, but you also won the contest. Congratulations. I love that you used the echo voice form of poetry for your entry.
What a creative work. I can see why you won first prize in the contest. As I read the words, though, it sounded more like a song from the hills of West Virginie than a regular country song. At least it did to me.
I do live the lines about mama praying for the singer. That's what mamas do.
By the way, I didn't think that "mamma" looked right. I found several websites that said that the spelling should be either mama or momma.
The contest said, "Can you tell a story with only a few words?" And that you did, with only 55 words. Your word choices were quite good, allowing us to see the story.
I was quite surprised that these few words reminded me of two with whom I corresponded in the late 90s after "meeting" them on a Christian online dating service. They both ended up being horrible human beings who preyed upon Christian women. I didn't get hurt by them, but I knew women who did.
Wow. I didn't expect to have that memory from your story. It makes me wonder what happened to those women who were emotionally hurt.
I love that you are so able to share your faith in poetic form. Throughout my life, my favorite people have been pastors, pastor's wives and preacher's kids.
In our area, the fact that the government was able to shut down churches because of covid , it affected current attendance. It's, perhaps, as some were only attending out of habit? Or are some still afraid now of getting sick among strangers?
This really touched me, Sophy. You expressed well the feelings we get when we reminisce about what life has been with a parent and what life later becomes. It brought back my first memories walking with my mom, and some of the last ones. A you write, I definitely liked it better when my mom was guiding me.
It certainly appears that you followed the prompts. And in doing so, you created quite an interesting story.
I tried both knitting and crocheting and mastered neither one. I knitted a pair of slippers and crocheted one Granny square. I do understand, though, how a splintered needle would not be kind to the yarn.
Loved your flash fiction and the idea of naming parts of a garden for past love interests. What a fascinating idea. It wouldn't work for me though, because I have not mastered the ability to keep plants alive. I suppose that I might name a few cacti after my past experiences. But then I would have to decide which ones had the worst spines.
For people who have not read Isaac Asimov's thoughts about writing books for children and adults, you did a good job of summarizing his thoughts and adding your own.
I've also heard the pros and cons of writing for each group, as well as the differences between writing poetry and prose.
Perhaps it comes down to the first advice I had about writing. Write what you love. Share your passion. That's how I ended up at our local newspaper years ago. I wrote letters to the editor and guest columns. And then I got offered a job. I started as editorial assistant and ended up as community news editor.
Thanks for the reminder. My dad and hubby's dad both had Parkinson's, and my dad also had Alzheimer's. The most frustrations for them came at the beginning, when they were first diagnosed.
My dad, for instance, had lucid periods where he was quite embarrassing that he sometimes saw cars running up and down the walls, horse heads in the windows, and little children behind the living room chairs. During those lucid moments, we assured him that we loved him even when he was "being silly". (His words.)
Since you worked as a caregiver for 5+ years, I imagine that you have much more that you could tell.
Thanks for sharing your "not-so-dirty limerick". It's interesting that you used that as your description. I once had a friend who loved to write limericks, but he discovered that they were read less often than his other poems. Someone finally told him that some folks might be worried that a limerick would have words or topics that they didn't care to read. Weird, huh?
What a fun poem! Yes, it's I before e except after....and all of the other exceptions. I remember back in the 90s, a guy told me that Americans are delusional if we think that learning English is difficult.
We had a bit of a discussion about how with other languages, you have to know if a door or window is masculine or feminine. I agreed with him. Then he reminded me that while we might say "my name is", other languages might say "I am called". I agreed again. Then I handed him a list with the words you used in your poem and he sighed. But he still insisted that English was easy to learn.
That is some interesting writing. The title drew me in. Who doesn't love a Mogwai?
As I read through your synopsis of what happened with Mogwai and Gremlins, I wondered if you were really summarizing a movie or were you talking about something else?
This part actually reminded me of politicians that we have allowed to run wild. That was probably because of the current events.
They are only doing what gremlins do, of course
They were created by your mistakes
They were created by your carelessness
They were created by your laziness and a prideful heart
Asking for things you could not even understand how to care for
Asking for something that you weren't even willing to fully learn how to love and respect
Thanks for sharing a bit of whimsy with us. I don't know many people who enjoy a cup of good tea. As a coffee drinker myself, I have tended to gravitate towards other coffee drinkers. Isn't that a bit bizarre?
I do like to venture into the store aisle now and then to see how many varieties of tea that they are now selling.
Coffees are perhaps not as varied. Sure, we can choose dark, medium or light roast. But there are few flavored coffees. I do have one that I adore, that I first discovered when I lived in FL. it's orange coffee and when it's brewing in the coffee maker, the whole house ends up smelling like both coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice. Yummy. But if I want flavors, I choose different creams for my coffee - from peppermint mocha to English toffee. More yumminess.
Let's get back to your poem. I loved it. As I read it aloud (because all poetry should be read aloud) I felt like your poem gave me a good morning hug.
As usual, when your poem appeared after I clicked the "Read and Review" button, I was overjoyed.
As usual, I enjoyed reading your work of heart aloud. I found no glaring errors in your rhymes, your rhythm or even your spelling. Instead, I felt comforted as I'd I was once again reading the works of a treasured author or a local friend.
I'm so sorry for your loss. My hubby lost his first wife in 1980. We married in 2005. Although we've now been married longer than they were, he still misses everything about her. And I understand. What we have done is to create things different than what they experienced together.
Hi, JACE. I hit the "Read and Review" button and there you were being a closet pessimist.
As usual, you expressed yourself well. I found no errors in spelling or grammar.
I tried a few times to be a pessimist, but just couldn't make it work for me. In elementary school, I was nicknamed "Smiley". In junior high, I had an attitude, so some called me "Smirk". Then as an adult, people started calling me "Ms. Merry Sunshine ". I love wearing sunshine too - shades of red, orange and yellow.
I enjoyed reading your piece and learning more about you.
Absolutely. Freedom comes from being obedient to the One who created us all. It wasn't until I became a parent (yikes! 40 years ago now!) that I understood the kind of love that our Father had for us. And it wasn't until I heard a physician talk about the wounds that Jesus experienced and then when I watched the movie The Passion of the Christ that I understood the depth of the love that His Son also has for us. Even typing about it gives me goosebumps.
I enjoyed reading your explanation of Independence Day.
Bless your heart. Your portfolio has quite a few items about a lost love. It sounds rather personal, and if it is, I hope that soon you will be able to find someone new to spend your time with, if not as a love interest, at least as a good friend.
To get noticed more, I would suggest that you fill in all three genres. You never know how someone might be searching for something new to read.
This old lady, who worked as an editor, would love to see more capital letters and punctuation.
I love reading your poetry aloud, and not just because the rhymes make sense or because the rhythm nears perfection. No, one of the biggest reasons is that you are quite the wordsmith. Sometimes I just marvel at the way that you so carefully create a picture with your words. You also create titles that make me wish they were my own. One of my favorite things is a good title.
I enjoyed reading your poem aloud. Your thoughts mimic my own about the spirit if Christmas. It should be something that we experience and share every day of the year.
If you read your poem aloud yourself, you might discover a few places where the rhythm is a bit awkward. Other than that, it's fine.
It's always a wonderful idea to share your faith. We're supposed to share our stories about how we came to be Christ followers.
Being thankful is fantastic. But if you are being grateful, be sure to spell it correctly. It's grateful not greatful. It comes from the word "grate," which is a term meaning pleasing or thankful.
I cannot imagine what it was like to live in places that were locked down like that. I cannot imagine people wearing masks outdoors. Or exercising with a mask on. I cannot imagine being somewhere where people scream at you for being closer than 6 feet away.
That time was probably the worst thing that ever happened to the United States and the world, not because of a virus but because people were silenced for asking questions and doctors were not allowed to practice medicine in a way that would benefit each patient individually.
I'm glad that in your story, they touched.
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings
Kenzie
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