Drink – SoCS June 25/16

June 25, 2016freyathewriter 9 Comments

“I need a drink!”

How often does that thought pass through our minds, I wonder? Does ‘need’ really reflect our thoughts most of the time, or is it more of a ‘want’? Of course, that thought tends to bring a picture to our minds of a nice glass of red, or a gin & tonic, or a pint of lager (yes, I’m British!). It’s definitely a want.

Real need encompasses water. We cannot live without it, we really do need it. It makes me angry, it scares me, when I hear about water privatisation. But then, water is already treated as a commodity here in the UK. All water supplies are controlled by private industry, it’s been this way here since 1989, and it’s accepted as being, well, acceptable. I’m not sure that I agree. I’ve been lucky, have always had access to clean water without having to worry about paying for its supply, and for the disposal of waste water.

People in the third world slums pay more for the supply of water than people in New York and London. Women in parts of Africa where privatised water is beyond their reach walk miles to collect water from often-polluted rivers, and they and their families suffer the devastating health consequences as a result.

Deaths from water-borne diseases are killing more people worldwide than all the wars, conflicts and general violence combined.

The United Nations has declared that access to clean drinking water is a universal human right.

Something to remember when you think “I need a drink!”

Here’s my latest offering for the lovely Linda’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday Linda’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday, where this week she invites to write inspired by ‘drink’ (verb or noun). This was completely stream of consciousness… I started off with one idea i mind and ended up at a real tangent!

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

Yokoburi – dVerse Haibun Monday

June 20, 2016June 20, 2016freyathewriter 49 Comments

I need windscreen wipers for my glasses and a windproof umbrella. My coat needs sleeves with elasticated cuffs to shield my wrists from the chill deluge. I need shoes that don’t let the water in, that are impervious to the puddles. I need to love the rain. I relax into the squall, lift my eyes to the skies, admire the lowering clouds, see them pregnant and heavy with fat, luscious raindrops, relax my shoulders and smile. My fellow commuters, marching head-down across London Bridge might think me mad if they took a moment to look up from their intense march towards the office, the coffee shop, the cafe, the next bus stop. But if they did take that moment to look around them, perhaps that might mean they were rejoicing in Nature in all her English summer unpredictability too?

Lifting my eyes

to the clouds over sky-line

I become raindrops.

This is my first attempt at dVerse Haibun Monday – and how apt! This evening the sky was cloudless as I left London, and it was beautifully warm. This morning – well, it felt like Autumn, with wind, intense rain and to top it all – yep, it was Monday. The haibun does indeed reflect what happened – I realised I was making myself tense and a little bit more than a little bit fed up with fighting the elements, so decided to go with the flow. And believe me, there was a great deal of water swirling in the air and on the pavements!

Thank you to Toni for hosting! I hope my offering is what she is looking for. I’m no expert at haibun, am a little ‘light’ on what a ‘proper’ haibun is like, but I think I’ve gone some way to achieving what has been asked for!

Yokoburi is Japanese for ‘driving rain’. Who knew there were so many words for different types of rain, as Toni kindly shares with us?

Why not join in, or if you don’t feel up to it, at least pop on over and read what others have offered up?

Tang – Five Sentence Fiction

June 27, 2015June 27, 2015freyathewriter 11 Comments

Tang.

Salt tang.

Sweet oblivion, for without the dark, there can be no light.

I float, rise above my earth-bound body.

You wash over me and now, now I am whole.

—–

After a scarily long absence from my blog – no excuses, it’s just how it’s been – here is my long-overdue entry into the lovely Lillie’s Five Sentence Fiction, where she has provided this azure-hued photo for our delight, delectation and inspiration. Please do visit here to read the entries from other writers who love to keep it short, and yet still full of meaning.

As for my entry above, well, I leave it to your imagination as to what inspired me, together with the photo! All comment are very, very welcome, if you feel so moved.