Look up! Microfiction Challenge #9 – Rainbow

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Sky painted with an ethereal hand, if only he would care to notice. But, as always, he was too full of himself, of visualising his increasing bank balance, of mentally spending it on new furniture, an extension, a pool, a double garage.

Sky sighed. She had been trying for years, chasing him around the globe, waiting for just the right moment after the sun-infused shower to wave her paintbrush in a great arc and illuminate the heavens with her multi-faceted glory. But she always failed. He was obtuse and oblivious..

Anger roiled from the depths of her being, a white heat rose from the soles of her delicately shod feet and coursed through her veins, clothing the forbidding clouds in a brief but intense flash. She opened her mouth and a great growl spewed forth, years of pent-up frustration shaking the trees, the rivers, the houses below with its violence.

He stopped in his tracks as fat tears of sorrow lashed his face, flattened his hair to his scalp, stuck his shirt to his skin. Lightning and thunder filled his void and then, then he looked up as a great bolt split the sky and tore his house asunder. All became still, as if the world was holding its breath.

“Janice? Janice? it’s me, Mike. Oh my God, the storm! It’s all gone, our beautiful home, our car, everything destroyed!” Mike winced in anticipation, waiting for the wrath of his wife to assault his ears.

“But are you OK, Mike? You’re not hurt?”

“I’m fine, but our house -”

“It’s just bricks and mortar. You are my home, that’s all that matters.” Her voice was gentle, soft, warm. He had failed to noticed these little things for such a long time.

It was then that he saw the rainbow. Finally. Sky rested her paintbrush and allowed a few final tears to fall to the earth. Her work was done.


 

Thanks to the lovely Michael, who I have known via the internets ( :)) for some time now, I have found this Microfiction Challenge from Jane Dougherty, who this week invites to write on rainbows. Please do head on over to Jane’s blog to enjoy the writerly goodness – and why not take part too?

Ripples – A Dash of Sunny

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When the words don’t come easy

When inspiration evades me
When I must gouge every word from my bound and stitched mouth
When the rhythm’s distorted
When the rhyme pattern is thwarted
When confidence is eroded by crippling self-doubt
When I shrink before mastery
When my skill is unsatisfactory
When my fountain of words is foundered by drought
That’s when I lay my soul bare
That’s when I let myself care
That’s when what I put there on the table is me
It’s my heart, soul and body
It’s what pushes and drives me
I’m a poet, a writer, and words set me free.


 

It’s time for the weekly prompt from A Dash of Sunny! This week, we are asked to write on intuition, instinct and creativity. The poem above is a reprise of some work of a few years ago – ironically my muse is taking me to art today, not to writing, but I wanted to take part nonetheless, hence my sneaky, cheaty reprise! How ironic also, that this pieces is about inspiration and the drive to write! It’s always there, but sometimes, I have to take a time out to recharge and re-craft a little later on.

Please head on over to A Dash of Sunny and read, and enjoy!

Cash – #SoCS Aug 13/16

 

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“Ground floor:
Perfumery, stationery, and leather goods, wigs and haberdashery, kitchenware and food. Going up…

First floor:
Telephones, gents ready made suits, shirts, socks, ties, hats, underwear, and shoes. Going up…

Second floor:
Carpets, travel goods, and bedding, materials, soft furnishings, restaurant, and teas. Going down…

Anyone from the UK who remembers 1970s TV programming will probably recognise these lyrics… the theme tune to ‘Are You Being Served?”!

I was born in 1970, so my memory of this comedy series, set in the fictitious department store ‘Grace Brothers’, is informed by my childish interpretation, but as I mentioned last week, it was another sitcom that was funny for children and adults alike – it was definitely family viewing in my experience!

Innuendo littered every programme, but most of it passed me by at that age. There was much talk of Mrs Slocombe’s pussy (and yes, she did have a cat, but her leg was constantly pulled by Mr Lucas, the ‘Jack the lad’ junior in menswear, who clearly interpreted it rather differently!). Mr Humphries was the gay archetype, who’s strapline was ‘I’m free!’ when asked if he could serve a customer – of course, there was another double entendre right there. Old Mr Grace, one of the eponymous ‘Grace Brothers’ was always surrounded by a bevy of barely-suitably-dressed young ladies… it was typical 1970s – and certainly not PC. But really, I think that it was a perfect sitcom, taking the mickey out of the British way of the time. And it was harmless, in my opinion.

What has this got to do with cash? Well, the theme tune begins with the sound of ringing cash registers, fading behind the song, the lyrics being what a lift attendant might say whilst shepherding customers between floors.

Ah, reminiscing is such fun!

I’ve included a YouTube video below, so anyone who doesn’t know of the series can get more of a feel for what I’ve been writing about – enjoy!


 

It’s time for Stream of Consciousness Saturday, hosted by the lovely Linda. I seem to have gone down the 1970s TV route again, inspired by this week’s prompt of ‘cash’. I really enjoyed writing and thinking about this!

Please do head on over to Linda’s place, read, enjoy and why not take part?

And… here’s the new SoCS badge – eye-catching, right?

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