Welcome to The Writer's Terrace - a haven for writers.

The Writer's Terrace (formerly known as The Written Word) is a haven for writers to come and share the expression of their hearts in our little "terraced garden" of women and friends. We don't have deadlines or assignments, just the opportunity to share the things we write.

We would love to have you join us and share your writing. Feel free to speak and write from the heart in whatever form you desire, but please no offensive language. Stories, poetry, free-write, letters, whimsical - anything that takes your fancy.

If you would like to join us please go to The Writer's Terrace Yahoo Group and fill out the application.

Monday, September 7, 2009

September Themes


Here are your challenges for the Month. You may do as many or as few as you choose.
All compositions MUST be written by you.
The following are prompts to help inspire you - you are free to share other writings as well. If you participate in these challenges just be sure to Identify the Room you are writing in (ie "The Writer's Terrace - Name of Piece")
PLEASE NOTE: the new room - "Room with a View" for group discussions and also writings inspired by the topic. For the writer who writes "from a particular view".
Remember...be creative and have fun!

The Writer's Terrace and The Poet's Corner

The story takes place five years into the future. During the story, there is a sudden windfall of money and a character becomes antisocial at some point.

Back to School!
Summer has drawn to a close in the northern hemisphere and many are preparing to go back to school. For some this involves elementary through to college. For others - the whole concept is just a memory.
Write a story or poem about SCHOOL MEMORIES - past or present.

Below are two Alan Ayers paintings. Write a poem or story inspired by either of them, or both!




The Literary Lounge

Imagination Prompt
Finish this sentence - "Love is..."

The Phrase Phase
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

The Phrase Phase
For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. ~Edwin Way Teale

The Phrase Phase
"To be old and wise you must first be young and stupid"

The Phrase Phase
Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance. - Yoko Ono

Imagination Prompt
Finish this sentence - "It seemed like a good idea last night, but in the light of day...."

Word Association
Take the following word, associate it with another and use that as the theme for your poem or story - Fall

Literally Lyrical
How did we get so mean?
How do we just move on?
How do you feel in the morning when it comes
And everythings undone?
Is it 'cause we wanna be free?
Well that's not me.
Normally I'm so strong
I just can't wake up on the floor
Like a thousand times before
knowing that forever wont be
("Mean" by Pink)


Room with a View
(these can be shared through poetry, article, letter or just a friendly banter and conversation)

View #1
What things in life sustain you emotionally?

View #2
Do you feel you’re too old to pursue your dreams?


The Word Alcove

skulk \SKUHLK\, intransitive verb:
1. To hide, or get out of the way, in a sneaking manner; to lurk.
2. To move about in a stealthy way.
3. To avoid responsibilities and duties.
4. One who skulks.
5. A group of foxes.

bestow \bih-STOH\, transitive verb:
1. To present as a gift or an honor; confer.
2. To apply; use.

gauche \GOHSH\, adjective:
Lacking social polish; tactless; awkward; clumsy.

ineffable \in-EF-uh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable.
2. Not to be uttered; taboo.


The Book Nook

Share with us a Book you have read recently. Review it and tell us what you think of it. Don't forget to include Title, author and ISBN (google it, if in doubt)

Friday, August 28, 2009

Twilight by Stina

Twilight
by Stephanie Meyer

ISBN-10: 0316015849


Twilight - the year's most recent craze that started a phenomenon sweeping the world over finally caught up with me a couple of months ago. While I'm not normally into fantasy, I am always a sucker for romance. Still, they generally lose me when things start morphing into the other side of reality and I move onto the more juicy realism of James Patterson or Kathy Reichs. But there is something about the Twilight saga that just draws you in...and it is so easy to be swept away and to lose yourself in the fantasy, the romance and the sheer magic that makes this book, and those that follow, unputdownable.

The story begins with Bella, from whose perspective the tale is written, moving to the small town of Forks in Washington State - where it is perpetually cold and rainy almost year round - to live with her father who is the local Police Chief. As a teenager she enrols in the local Forks High School where she instantly attracts male attention, most of which she's oblivious to much of the time. Forming friendships on her first day helps her to ease into the comfortable familiarity in which she loses herself.

Then she meets Edward Cullen. Something about him draws her to him and despite their first encounter in Biology class, she finds she cannot keep away from him. His indifference and rudeness does nothing to deter her, in fact she seeks him out with the intention of giving him a piece of her mind, and yet each day at every opportunity she finds herself searching the crowds for his face with the hope she'll see him once again. When she does the first thing she notices is his eyes - they are no longer the deep black they were that first day, but a pure liquid gold. So beautiful she finds herself melting in them almost losing her resolve to confront him. But then she discovers his eyes aren't the only thing different about him. When she takes her seat beside him in Biology he smiles and her heart flutters, then she almost faints when he speaks to her - when on their first encounter he almost growled at her.

She'd seen the Cullens at lunch on her first day and had noticed their exquisite beauty then, but wondered why they always sat at the far end of the cafeteria, their meals always untouched. Asking her friends about them they sniffed "Oh that's the Cullens. They don't talk to anyone". But Bella found them captivating, particularly Edward. Maybe that was why she was so taken aback by his rudeness that first day and then his turnaround a week later when he finally returned to school. She had never seen anyone so beautiful and within those first few moments of laying eyes on him she was completely captivated. Even though she thought him rude and distasteful that first day, she found she couldn't stop thinking about him. He even haunted her dreams...and continued to do so despite his hot and cold attitude toward her.

Edward was never far away - whether it be in dreams or reality. Bella is notorious for her clumsiness and aversion to trouble. So when one her classmates hits black ice in the school's parking lot and comes barrelling toward her, she doesn't have time to see her life flash before her - Edward, who had been on the other side of the lot beside his car, suddenly was at her side and the truck stops in its tracks just inches from her. Speechless she can only look at him before being carted off to hospital for a check-up. It was then she knew that Edward was different, though in what way she didn't know. She just knew there was something about him...and she was determined to find out. All Edward would tell her was that their being friends was not a good idea, which she found utterly confusing. One minute he said they couldn't be friends and the next he couldn't keep away from her. And his eyes always had that deep searching look as if he were trying to peer into her soul and tell her something that words could not convey. And despite the confusion she felt whenever she was around him, she also found him captivating as well as confusing - and even when he wasn't there he dominated her thoughts and she found she couldn't stop thinking about him.

There were other boys in Bella's life, most of whom vied for her attention and/or affections. A day at the beach brought Jacob to her and they became best friends. It was this visit with Jacob that brought up legends and myths which began to piece together for her the puzzle that was Edward. Upon returning home, she googled what Jacob had told her for further information, puzzling over what she discovered. It wasn't until she found herself in a potentially dangerous situation one night, when Edward appeared out of nowhere in his high-speed Volvo to come to her rescue, that the pieces suddenly fell into place. She wasn't afraid, though he didn't understand why because he thought himself extremely dangerous company for her to keep. Yet if he was so dangerous why is it he was always there? Because he found he couldn't keep away from her, he told her. And because of her perpetual clumsiness she always needed rescuing from whatever situation she found herself in - something which he joked was becoming a full-time occupation for him.

It was this encounter that was the turning point in their relationship. Bella gained a new understanding of the boy who captivated her every waking moment and haunted her every dream, and Edward gave into emotion to "break all the rules". He no longer cared because he could not live without Bella nor she without him.

Edward brought her into his world and she found herself learning about each of the Cullens and what brought them here - and how. Alice and Esme welcomed her with open arms as did Carlisle and Emmett. Jasper, though a little hesitant, followed suit. Only Rosalie sniffed and refused to accept her, claiming "she" was a danger to them now being privy to their secret. But this did not deter Edward nor Bella. Nothing could keep them apart for they were two halves of the same soul. In Edward Bella found herself, and in Bella Edward finally found his reason for being.

But their relationship is not welcomed by all with Jacob's father continually frowned on their "fraternisation", his words conveying veiled warnings whenever they spoke. He even dupes Jacob into paying Bella a visit at her Prom with a final warning, which isn't delivered with the fervour in which it is meant, and Jake laughs it off. They share a dance together before Edward cuts back in and they lose themselves together in each other's arms once again. Edward dazzles Bella in every way that she dreams about being with him forever. He says "I will stay with you - isn't that enough?" She says "I love you more than anything else in the world combined - isn't that enough?" to which he responds, "Yes it is enough - enough for forever."

However Edward blames himself when Bella is inadvertently placed in danger when three Nomads cross their paths one night. One of them takes in her scent and sets his sights on her and Edward immediately reads the danger and breaks up the gathering. A plan is set in motion to move Bella out of harm's way, with Jasper and Alice accompanying her to safety while Edward seeks out the danger in the hope he will stop it. But their plans are thwarted and Bella is lured into danger, where she faces death and the realisation she may never see Edward again. Can Edward save her in time?

© Christina aka Stina
28th August, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Deadly Caution in the Rain by Lindamay

Deadly Caution in the Rain

The rain poured down from all around
Like the sky had been split in two,
He'd said "be careful" and "do not stop"
My dad was wise, I always knew.

My teeneage years were here with me
I was smart and I was half grown up,
I'd listen then be on my way
My friends would laugh and say 'whas up.'

Tonight my mother had worried so
She didn't want me to go and play,
But buddies were waiting down on the field
This rain would not get in our way.

I drove with caution when I was all alone
My friends would have chidded me so,
But I had precious years ahead of me
And driving like this they'd never know.

The car lights came up fast and bright
I swerved to avoid a wreck,
I braced myself for the screeching halt
There was no time to protect my neck.

I remember the sound when he hit my car
Like transformers changing shapes again,
The crash, the clatter, the crumpled sounds
But mostly I remember just hearing the rain.

He stumbled over and looked in on me
There was something that was in my way,
I remember his eyes and his smelly breath
I did not move when he drove away.

I'd driven with caution as my dad had asked
I'd done all that I should have done,
But in the end, just as it usually is
The drunk who drove is the one who won.

Linda May Spivey~Bjorklund
17 August 2009

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Joy Luck Club by Debra

The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (September 21, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143038095

I fell in love with The Joy Luck Club on the very first page; it resonated with me on many levels. For one, it cried out deep truths that touched my woman's soul.


In The Joy Luck Club four mothers and daughters are profiled. Each mother’s life story is told, as a lesson, in reference to her daughter’s current life.

"Yesterday my daughter said to me, ‘My marriage is falling apart.’

“And now all she can do is watch it falling. She lies down on a psychiatrist couch, squeezing tears out about this shame. And, I think, she will lie there until there is nothing more to fall, nothing left to cry about, everything dry.

“She cried, ‘No Choice! No Choice!’ She doesn't know. If she doesn't speak, she is making a choice. If she doesn't try, she can lose her chance forever.

“I know this, because I was raised the Chinese way: I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, to eat my own bitterness."

How true for women, and sometimes men, everywhere. But especially women who are taught, "The woman is the soul of the home. She is the creator of harmony," and "Apply your lip liner so that the ends of your mouth appear to go up and you are always wearing a smile." Translation, "Remember to desire nothing, to take responsibility for other's troubles, to never voice your own disappointments."

But then, she teaches us her lesson: she teaches us that we do not have to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, to eat our own bitterness, in this passage from the day her mother died:

"And on that day, I showed Second Wife the fake pearl necklace she had given me and crushed it under my foot.

“And on that day, Second Wife's hair began to turn white.

“And on that day, I learned to shout."

This passage moved me profoundly in a way few books have. "I learned to Shout!"

Each of the mother's in this novel teach their daughters truths to live by. "Do not undervalue your love and assume that it is less worthy than another's," "Trust in yourself and your worth," "Demand that you be treated with respect" and "Do not crush your own desires, do not take responsibility for others misery, do not eat your own bitterness. Speak up - shout if you must!"

Not only did this novel reach me on the level of profound truth and soul-enriching lessons, but the sheer poetry of the writing was a delight to my inner ear. So much so that I found myself reading passages out loud:

"A psychiatrist does not want you to wake up. He tells you to dream some more, to find the pond and pour more tears into it. And really, he is just another bird drinking from your misery."

It actually scans:

A psychiatrist does not want
You to wake up.
He tells you to dream some more,
To find the pond and pour
More tears into it.

And really, he
Is just another bird,
Drinking from
Your misery.

And another:

"I will gather together my past and look. I will see a thing that has already happened. The pain that cut my spirit loose. I will hold that pain in my hand until it becomes hard and shiny, more clear. And then my fierceness can come back, my golden side, my black side. I will use this sharp pain to penetrate my daughter's tough skin and cut her tiger spirit loose. She will fight me, because that is the nature of two tigers. But I will win and give her my spirit, because that is the way a mother loves her Daughter.

"I hear my daughter speaking to her husband downstairs. They say words that mean nothing. They sit in a room with no life in it.

"I know a thing before it happens. She will hear the vase and table crashing to the floor. She will come up the stairs and into my room. Her eyes will see nothing in the darkness, where I am waiting between the trees.”

How incredibly beautiful the last passage is - my favorite in the book. The imagery, the magic of the words, the poetry. This passage is literally saturated with a mother's love for her daughter to a point where it is almost unbearable to read! As translated in the movie The Joy Luck Club, "I am waiting like a tiger in the trees, ready to leap out and cut my daughter's spirit loose."

The Joy Luck Club is a mandatory read for any woman. I've now read it six times, and will do so again.


© Debra Shiveley Welch

Monday, August 17, 2009

Gone in the Night by Selena

Gone In The Night

It was a cold dark rainy night, I knew better than to get into my car and drive in such weather but I did. I never saw him coming. He was just standing there in the middle of the road. I did not know that I had hit him until I felt the thud. That is when I got up and used my cell phone to call 911. Suddenly he got up and opened the door, he was mad not the angry type of mad the possessed type of mad. I never got to tell the dispatcher what had happened, I was saying “I am sorry but I did not see you in this rain, but then again you should have not been standing there in the middle of the road.”

The dispatcher said “Ma’am are you alright what type of help do you need?”

Suddenly there was a zapping sound then everything went black. I awaken but I am not in a familiar place. I am tied up and gagged, bruised, and battered. My eyes are swollen almost shut; I hurt everywhere so much so I can’t even move. The gag is removed and the guy says “now if you will not scream like the way you did after you hit me with your car, you will be able to breathe a lot better.”

I do nothing but obey; I do not want to get him angry again. I say “where am I why am I here” I hear nothing but I do see the tazer that I was zapped with before everything went black. The man says “Why did you hit me with your car?” I said “you were just standing there in the middle of the road I did not see you I am not at fault you were by just standing there” So you think it was my fault and not yours you were driving you stupid bitch.

Well you are not going to get away with this you pervert I left prints all over my car. Awe that is just it my lady, only your prints will be able to be lifted I was wearing gloves and plus the rain washed away anything that I may have left.

Oh yeah the last person who called me a pervert ended up strung upside down tied by her ankles. Held by a chain a heavy chain she was found nude just like you are. All I could do was swallow back the tears of fear that I had.

What he was describing was just like the newspaper article I read about this killer who hated women for some reason.

I most certainly did not want to become this man’s next victim.. You see my lady this is how I took those other girls. It was a dark rainy night just like it is now. They will be looking for me my cell phone has a trace on it and, that was all I got out. Suddenly I was tazed again and again so much so that I lost control of my bladder and wet the bed sheets I was covered with. That must have aroused this man next thing I know I am being raped by this man. All I could see is that this man was completely shaved. When I mean shaved I mean so that he will never leave any type of DNA evidence. None what so ever this man was smart very smart.

I try everything possible to remain alive. Wherever we are I can hear a TV in the background. He is watching the news and is keeping track of his crimes.

Staying one step ahead of the police that are tracking him down. What this man doesn’t know is that he is torturing the chief of police and the second chief in command is my very own husband. He knows that his wife is missing I can hear that on the TV my husband is careful not to say that who the chief of police is he is protecting my name sake. I am sitting there thinking to myself that if this man gets word of who he is holding captive. I will most certainly become his 24 victim. This man is sadistic very sadistic.

With each of his kills he carves the roman numeral into each of his victims.
There is a 16 year break between the crimes but now I know that this is the same killer. He must have been hiding in the shadows, like I said he was always one step ahead of the police that were trying to catch this killer.

He suddenly comes into the room and says the police will never find us.. I am way too smart than to leave trails that will lead back to me. I am thinking this guy is a freak and needs to be locked up for his crimes. If I do get out of this alive my testimony will prove that he is competent to stand trial and cannot take the insanity defense. This man does know right from wrong, I should know I have been keeping track of this man’s behavior.

I start putting two and two together, this man is completely shaved. He knows right from wrong, stays one step ahead of the police. He leaves no evidence

Dammit this man is a fricken cop himself he took the oath to protect and to serve. I’m still trying to figure out who the hell this man is. All of a sudden it goes quiet he must be gone.
I try to sense my surroundings listening to each and everything I can. I hear no traffic but I do hear water and a lot of it. I must be near a river with cabins around it. I can smell smoke someone must be staying near here the smoke I smell is from a barbecue it smells good. The swelling is going down I can see things but they are still blurry. I try calling help me I need help I am being held here against my will. Help ME that must have done it I hear a voice a familiar voice. I yell out help me I hear Chief is that you?

I yell out Dante is that you help me I hear a scuffle at the front door. Then a gun shot. Dante says Have Mercy what the hell happened to you? I have been watching the news Shit Chief I had no idea it was you but I did recognize that car of yours at the crime scene. I am calling for help right now good thing I was vacationing here or else you might have been victim 24 with the roman numerals carved into you. What happened to my captor? He is hit but alive I have him handcuffed. Handcuffed dammit Dante, you are on vacation. Chief I never let my guard down on the clock or off the clock. Next thing I know is I see my husband my loving husband Dante SR. Yes, the man who rescued me was my rookie son Dante for whom I named after my loving husband.

I am being loaded into the ambulance and I hear my captor “You Amish Bitch! You Would Have Been My 24th Amish Victim”.

Yes I am Amish however we are the kind who never forgive. And for this you will pay and pay dearly. We are not the traditional Amish but yes we are Amish. Bet you did not know that you would be beaten by an Amish person did you? Your little secret will now be exposed to the world including the traditional Amish world. You see my sadistic young man your other victims family might have over looked you as you were an English cop. Now that you have been beaten by a reformed Amish who work closely with the English and their ways of punishment.

You will never be forgiven for what you have done to the traditional and the reformed Amish.

© Selena
August 2009

Saturday, August 8, 2009

August Challenge Themes

Here are your challenges for the Month. You may do as many or as few as you choose.
All compositions MUST be written by you.
The following are prompts to help inspire you - you are free to share other writings as well. If you participate in these challenges just be sure to Identify the Room you are writing in (ie "The Writer's Terrace - Name of Piece")
PLEASE NOTE: the new room - "Room with a View" for group discussions and also writings inspired by the topic. For the writer who writes "from a particular view".
Remember...be creative and have fun!

The Writer's Terrace and The Poet's Corner

Fan-fiction
This is a popular form of writing where you take an already existing story and characters and write your own story using those characters and even introducing new ones into your own story.

It's SummerTime!
It's summer in the northern hemisphere and many are enjoying summer vacations, days at the beach and the glorious summer sunshine.
Write a story or poem about SUNSHINE

A Picture Tellss a Thousand Words
Below are two Alan Ayers paintings. Write a poem or story inspired by either of them, or both!



The Literary Lounge

Imagination Prompt
Write about the association of fragrance and memory

The Phrase Phase
"To be old and wise you must first be young and stupid"

"Recipe" Challenge
Write a poem in the form of a recipe by gathering the ingredients and then the "baking" method

Imagination/Number Challenge
Write using the number TWO in whatever way inspires you

Imagination Prompt
Finish this sentence - "I feel depressed because..."

Imagination Prompt
Finish this sentence - "It seemed like a good idea last night, but in the light of day...."

Word Association
Take the following word, associate it with another and use that as the theme for your poem or story - Age

Literally Lyrical
How did we get so mean?
How do we just move on?
How do you feel in the morning when it comes
And everythings undone?
Is it 'cause we wanna be free?
Well that's not me.
Normally I'm so strong
I just can't wake up on the floor
Like a thousand times before
knowing that forever wont be
("Mean" by Pink)


Room with a View
(these can be shared through poetry, article, letter or just a friendly banter and conversation)

View #1
Will there ever be world peace? Explain.

View #2
Do you feel you’re too old to pursue your dreams?


The Word Alcove

skulk \SKUHLK\, intransitive verb:
1. To hide, or get out of the way, in a sneaking manner; to lurk.
2. To move about in a stealthy way.
3. To avoid responsibilities and duties.
4. One who skulks.
5. A group of foxes.

bestow \bih-STOH\, transitive verb:
1. To present as a gift or an honor; confer.
2. To apply; use.

gauche \GOHSH\, adjective:
Lacking social polish; tactless; awkward; clumsy.

ineffable \in-EF-uh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable.
2. Not to be uttered; taboo.


The Book Nook

Share with us a Book you have read recently. Review it and tell us what you think of it. Don't forget to include Title, author and ISBN (google it, if in doubt)


Saturday, August 1, 2009

Twilight Zone of Life by Marianne

Twilight Zone of Life

In the twilight zone of life
Where light always seems far away
I've been now far too many times
And this time it seemed I would stay

Then the New Moon sent its beams
A message that couldn't be ignored
You'll see a moon eclipse for a while
But then light will come for sure

And just when darkness thought it had won
And the sky was as black as could be
I saw the beginning of the breaking dawn
Rays of light starting to shine on me

No more will the twilight zone of life
Be allowed to keep me there
I've been there far too many times
But now I know there's always light somewhere

© Marianne Milde 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Forever Twilight by Stina

Forever Twilight

The gentle breath of twilight
casts a magic glow
Enveloped in the promise
a new hope for tomorrow -

Its spell is but a glimmer
a silent interlude
Entwined between two lovers
beneath the still new moon -

Her heart beat gently falters
while his own does no more
As their souls eclipse the moment
forever they live for -

Her breath is but a whisper
his touch as cold as ice
As together they surpass the breaking dawn
in love's gentlest lullaby's.

© Christina
28th July 2009

Time to Say Goodbye by Linda

Time to Say Goodbye

I first saw you as a little boy
And held you in my arms,
I was captivated
By the measure of your charms.

You grew and needed me
To help you on your way.
The seasons passed too quickly
And soon had dawned the day.

The day you no longer needed me
To calm and allay your fears,
We had shared laughter and play
Sunshine and tears.

Little boy no longer – now you stand tall
Towering well above me.
Heartsick I realize that I must let you go ~
That I must let you be.

With tears in my eyes
I realize you have gone away.
That you have seen the dawning
Of your final day.

I know that you enjoyed life
And for everyone did your best.
We who loved you most of all
Must finally let you rest.

Roses – how you loved them!
And these my final gift to you,
Fragrant and sweet
And kissed by the morning dew.

I shall always remember you
And my memories will be sweet,
As I walk among the roses
Their petals at my feet.

© Linda J. Vaughan
July 26th 2009

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

July Challenge Themes


Here are your challenges for the Month. You may do as many or as few as you choose.
All compositions MUST be written by you.
The following are prompts to help inspire you - you are free to share other writings as well. If you participate in these challenges just be sure to Identify the Room you are writing in (ie "The Writer's Terrace")
PLEASE NOTE: the new room - "Room with a View" for group discussions and also writings inspired by the topic. For the writer who writes "from a particular view".
Remember...be creative and have fun!


The Writer's Terrace and The Poet's Corner

Twilight - New Moon - Eclipse - Breaking Dawn
....these are the titles of each book in the Twilight series.
Write a poem or story using all of these words in whatever way they inspire you.

Christmas in July
Here in Australia many places have such an event as this is our winter but what if the northern hemisphere celebrated in their summer? What if we "traded places" so to speak and Christmas was in winter for us and summer for others?

Write a poem or story inspired by the following picture:


The Literary Lounge

Imagination Prompt
If chocolate was a vegetable

"Recipe" Challenge
Bake a Friendship Cake in the form of a poem

ABC Challenge
Write an ABC poem - like an Acrostic where each line begins with the next letter of the alphabet. Can be as short or as long as you like.

Imagination/Number Challenge
Write using the number SEVEN in whatever way inspires you

Word Association
Take the following word, associate it with another and use that as the theme for your poem or story - Hope

Room with a View
(these can be shared through poetry, article, letter or just a friendly banter and conversation)

Who would you trust most with your life? Why?

The Word Alcove

affray \uh-FRAY\, noun:
A tumultuous assault or quarrel; a brawl.

ebullient \ih-BUL-yuhnt\, adjective:
1. Overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement; high-spirited.
2. Boiling up or over.

prescience \PREE-shuns; PREE-shee-uns; PRESH-uns; PRESH-ee-uns; PREE-see-uns; PRES-ee-uns\, noun:
Knowledge of events before they take place; foresight.
--prescientadjective

verdant \VUR-dnt\, adjective:
1. Green with vegetation; covered with green growth.
2. Green.
3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive.


The Book Nook

Share with us a Book you have read recently. Review it and tell us what you think of it. Don't forget to include Title, author and ISBN (google it, if in doubt)

Monday, June 22, 2009

Time Spent Reminiscing by Linda


Time Spent Reminiscing

Today I found a box of photographs
Stored with other treasured things,
I sat down to sort through them
And time was given wings.

Photographs of my family ~
A careful pensive look to see
If that was my Great Grandmother
Or could it be really me?

My Father often told me
That I resembled her - the walk, the talk the looks,
The love of words and writing
And very special books.

The dark hair and eyes
The dimples and determined jaw,
I spent a long time then moved on
Because there was so much more.

My Great Grandfather - a quiet gentle soul
A man who loved me dearly.
He shared his love of horses
I can see it all so clearly.

He drove a team of Clydesdales
And went out delivering bread.
I have so many memories of him
Stored within my head.

As a tiny tot he would take me with him
And I would sit next to him with pride.
The smile upon his face
Showed joy he could not hide.

He let me hold the reins a while
And those dear great creatures knew
That they had a novice driving them
And exactly what to do.

When he bedded them down for the night
I would sleep upon the straw
These magnificent animals would step over me
And quietly watch the door.

Three hours soon passed - so many memories
In such a tiny treasure chest.
I shall come back another day
To relive memories of the very best.

© Linda J. Vaughan
22nd June 2009

From my Window by Linda

From My Window

Looking from my windows
I see beauty all around;
The colour of the autumn leaves,
The frost upon the ground.

The smiles upon the faces
Of my family when we meet,
A cheery wave from a neighbour
As I venture down the Street.

The children as they play and frolic
Their faces flushed by cold,
A neighbour whose steps are faltering
Because they are growing old.

A baby quietly sleeping
Safe and loved and warm.
A parent’s gentle caring
Keeping them from harm.

The tiny specks of green
As spring flowers break through,
Roses needing pruning –
Something else to do.

A cat asleep in a pot plant
Relishing the winter sun,
A pathway needing sweeping
When will that be done?

Dust upon a dresser,
A book upon a chair,
A desk in need of tidying
To show some sign of care.

I see so very much from my windows
And it should bring you no surprise,
That the windows I speak of
Are the windows of my soul – my eyes.

© Linda J. Vaughan
June 2009

(Window challenge for May)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Monologue Challenge - Nothing Lasts Forever

"Nothing Lasts Forever"

I dreamt of him last night.

Floating somewhere within the deep recesses of sub consciousness I felt the warmth of his arms encircling me in a comforting embrace. Not the romantic kind, but in the way a friend would comfort another – with understanding and compassion. As we sat together, his arms around me, he listened to me as I poured out my heart to him just as I did nearly 20 years ago and he was there for me then. He did not judge me or ridicule me. He did not tell me I was stupid or inadequate. He said nothing as I cried on his shoulder and he gently wiped my tears. He just listened.

I knew I was stupid and inadequate, or at least that’s how I felt, but he never saw me that way. He told me I was generous, loving, and kind-hearted and like a caterpillar, someone who just needed to spread her wings and become that beautiful person I was deep within…and that he could see in me. Where, I do not know.

He was my very best friend and we were incredibly close. It never seemed strange to either of us at all that I would be sitting on his knee and not by his side. To anyone who saw us together would assume we were a couple, though that thought had never entered our minds…at least, not at first. And even when it did, it remained in the back of our minds and deep in our hearts. I loved him and he loved me as best friends, who knew everything about each other, yet loved one another just the same. Our love, our friendship, was perfect. We shared everything and we lacked nothing. We didn’t need to be a couple to share a devotion and love. We were best friends and we cherished that. And so I sat upon his knee, crying a river of tears filling an ocean of heartache.

Pain is an incredible emotion. Some say it is a beautiful torture between which there is a fine line with pleasure – I say it is just torture. There are various levels of pain and I think I know almost every one of them in the psychological sense. I have experienced the physical at times but it’s the psychological, the emotional and the mental to which I am no stranger. It is that which is the most unbearable, torturous and excruciating pain. And for twenty years I have paved myself a pathway to which pain and heartache is the only ultimate destination. Why? Punishment, of course. I deserve no better. I threw my only chance of “real” happiness away…because I didn’t deserve that either. The only one who loved me and didn’t judge me and what did I do? I was afraid I would ruin the perfect love we shared, so I did just that. I ruined it. I never deserved someone so perfect, so loving and so understanding…and yet he was just the person for whom I craved. I wanted him more than anything and yet I felt he was so out of reach. We wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, but I wanted the rest of my life to begin as soon as possible, and he wanted to wait till he had established himself so he could provide for us. But I yearned for him so much I wanted him now. Suddenly our perfect love had a wall between us which I had so stupidly constructed. We both reached out for one another but in different directions that we always seemed to miss. Still he continued to love me and was always there for me.

Maybe that’s why I think of him now. For in the times I truly need a friend, my best friend, the one who understands me without judgment, I am merely alone. Two decades on and still aboard the emotional rollercoaster upon which I continually seem to find myself. Days of ups and downs within a field of psychological landmines which I must continually dodge, yet still with a similar end result – nothing I do or say is ever right. I think back to a time I was last happy and I can’t seem to recall such a moment – not really…and definitely not lately. Though I guess happiness these days for me is predominantly defined by the moments where I am not afflicted with heartache or a tirade of verbal abuse, but the days where peace reigns for a time. That is happiness, albeit momentarily. Yet it is those moments for which I yearn these days – where there is no ridicule, no torment, no heartache, pain or verballing. Just peace, sweet peace. Of course it never lasts, but then again what does? Nothing lasts forever.

Except...the bars on my window.

I look through the misty pane now beyond the bars to another life. One for which I yearn, or I don’t deserve and that could have been. Where would I be now had I just been patient and not sabotaged the only real love I had truly known? Would I be happy? Content? Would we still be together? Or like everything else, would that crash and burn as well? After all, my life has been a constant reality check for the adage that “nothing lasts forever”. Would all my yearnings and “what ifs” be the same? I guess I will never know, and all I can do now is sit behind the bars that imprison me within a cell of my own making and dream.

Maybe that IS why I think of him now. Not consciously, but deep within confines of my subconscious that is elicited through dreams. Why do I dream of him? Not because I’m secretly in love with him and want to ride off into the sunset together – but because I yearn for his compassion and understanding; his unconditional love and friendship that I missed so much. He was my best friend and I could do with a friend right now. If I were to ride off into the sunset with him it wouldn’t be because I secretly harboured a love for him all these years – it would be because I longed for an escape from the window from which I gaze longingly each day… my prison cell, where I am my own jailor. The view from this window is one I wish upon and hope for and yet it always seems so out of reach. It seems easier to dream of “what ifs” than it is to continually face the harsh reality of what I have become; of what my life has become. Nothing.

Maybe one day these bars will fade and I could be free again. After all, nothing lasts forever. Not even these bars; not life, not heartache, not peace and most definitely, not love… I know…because the dreams I have of a time that once was I watched slowly fade away and die. In the end everything is just a memory, locked within the confines of another prison, gazing from another window and yearning for another life.

No, nothing lasts forever…it merely just dies.

© Christina aka Stina
13th June 2009

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

June Challenges


The Writer's Terrace  and  The Poet's Corner
 
You or your main character awakens at night and hears an unfamiliar noise. Throughout the course of the story or poem, describe the noise, investigate its source, and surprise us with what is going on. Make your story or poem have an unexpected twist at the end.
 
What if....today's most commonplace technology was mind control? 
 
Envision....A fusion of the story of Jesus and the Legend of Robin Hood
 
Write a story or poem inspired by the following picture:  
 
The Literary Lounge
(used to prompt any form of writing that inspires you - poem, stories, articles, letters etc.)
 
Literally Lyrical
If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day
(Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day)
 
Literally Lyrical
When it's good, then it's good, it's so good till it goes bad 
Till you're trying to find the you that you once had 
I have heard myself cry, never again 
Broken down in agony just tryna find a fit 
(Pink ~ Sober)
 
The Phrase Phase
Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.  ~ Unknown
 
Imagination Prompt
Searching for an identity
 
Word Association
Take the following word, associate it with another and use that as the theme for your poem or story - Madness

Monologue Challenge (a story from your single perspective with no dialogue whatsoever)
Describe a view from a window - what do you see, how does it make you feel etc.
 
 
Room with a View
(these can be shared through poetry, article, letter or just a friendly banter and conversation)
 
When someone asks for your opinion, are you always honest? Why or why not?
 
 
The Word Alcove
nettlesome \NET-l-suhm\, adjective:
Causing irritation, vexation, or distress.

dissolute \DIS-uh-loot\, adjective:
Loose in morals and conduct; marked by indulgence in sensual pleasures or vices.

disheveled \dih-SHEV-uhld\, adjective;
(also dishevelled): 
In loose disorder; disarranged; unkempt; as, "disheveled hair."

drown   \droun\, verb;
v.   drowned, drown·ing, drowns
To kill or destroy by water or other liquid
To flood or inundate.
Synonyms: deluge, engulf, submerge, drench, soak

taciturn \TAS-uh-turn\, adjective:
Habitually silent; not inclined to talk.


The Book Nook

Share with us a Book you have read recently. Review it and tell us what you think of it. Don't forget to include Title, author and ISBN (google it, if in doubt)


Friday, May 15, 2009

I Am by Joanne

I Am

 
I am the granddaughter of Italian immigrants.
They came from across the great sea
Braving trials so difficult and imminent
So that their children could be born free.


I Am


The daughter of my parents, oldest of four
In the shadow of the elders I was born and bred.
As I grew up in two cultures I secretly deplored
How youth preferred temporal frivolities instead. 


I Am


Now living in the Old World that my elders left behind;
With my family I am here to stay and live my life.
It’s back to the beginnings, back to the basics unrefined,
Intertwining cultures I am blending as mother and wife.
 

I Am

 
At the autumn of my years I suddenly realize that time
Speeding quickly by is nothing compared to the pure love
That blossomed all these years for all those I call mine.
Eternal and free, come fly away with me, like a pure white dove. 

© Joanne Pons
14 May 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I Am by Selena


I Am

I Am

I am only one person who cares
And spreads love and friendship in the air
When someone is down and out
I take away what makes them want to pout


I Am

I am someone dear to a friend
I will stand by them until the end
When no one cares I am the one who does
By spreading my love and hugs


I Am

I am someone who is special in my own way
I spread happiness each and every day
No matter what the day may  bring
I am someone who makes a friends heart sing


I Am

I am a person who is a friend through and through
No matter what a person may say or do
I am a person who will be very kind
For my friends heart and mine are entwined.

Copyright © 2009
Selena AKA JaNell Harris