Tag: prosery

An Impatient King (prosery/flash fiction)

by Stephen J Frankenberry16 Comments on An Impatient King (prosery/flash fiction)

A new “prosery” prompt at dVerse Poets from Sanaa, a 144 word piece of prose to include a chosen line from a poem, in this case, the line “The future gathers in vine, bush, and tree: Persimmon, walnut, loquat, fig, and grape” from the poem “Time and the Garden” by Yvor Winters.

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An Impatient King

An impatient King, always. Taxes before fields were plowed netting his peasants their meager fealty, wives before they had chance to know him as husband (though that impatience was prudent lest they all be found having leapt from towers before losing their heads) meats before they’d grown full for the butcher, fruits and vegetables ahead of ripening, even some children conscripted to his army before they were strong enough to fight, paying the price then as mere fodder.

The Gardener knew this, lamenting his own children’s losses, stripped too early from nature’s nurture “The future gathers in vine, bush, and tree: Persimmon, walnut, loquat, fig, and grape need their time” he thought “hemlock though?” he thought more “can be quite effective if harvested early.”  

You see, the Gardener was also impatient … for poetic irony, for poetic justice and for a garden’s proper time.

Star Speckled Black Brighter Days (prosery)

by Stephen J Frankenberry8 Comments on Star Speckled Black Brighter Days (prosery)

This week Kim brings us a prosery idea at dVerse Poets, a 144 word piece of prose to include one line from a poem or song. In this case, a line from Dereck Walcott’s “Dark August” …“I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones”

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Star Speckled Black Brighter Days

Great grandfather’s generation were the last to know their sun, before it became blackened by dust, frozen air and profound hatred is what my father told me. But they had sent the following generation and a budding next away, a relatively young handful, in secret, from a remote volcanic island in this wondrous living world of a craft before things became too dire.

My grandfather argued for staying, hoping to educate the world away from its end, but for great grandfather?

“I would have learnt to love black days, the ones of space, like bright ones here once but that’s for you son” he told grandfather from inside the volcano’s launch.

“There is no longer any educating, that time is well past. You just go … save us.”

That’s what I was told as I look out at star speckled black brighter days.

The Sapling

by Stephen J Frankenberry9 Comments on The Sapling

A Monday prompt at dVerse Poets from Lisa for some prosery, where you use a given line of poetry (or song lyric) to inspire you to here, a 144 word piece of prose (not including the title).

The line of poetry or, in this case, the song lyric? “To hurt is to steal” from Bono and U2’s “Mysterious Ways”.

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The Sapling

He found himself in a forest clearing or was it the middle of a bustling metropolitan street or a majestic city in the clouds sitting at a windingly circular table with a sapling in a simple clay pot at the center.

And he wasn’t alone as there were many for company around this table, countless strangely familiar faces who, when he finally gained some wits about him, all stood in unison, nodding and warmly smiling, smiles he somehow knew, like from lifetimes myriad found reflections.

They all then clapped until he became overwhelmed and began to cry.

“To hurt is to steal, from us pained all” said the comforting face to his left “but to love is to borrow from us more” said the equally comforting face to his right.

Just then the sapling burst leaves and breath and started to grow … again.

The Black Hole (flash fiction)

by Stephen J Frankenberry7 Comments on The Black Hole (flash fiction)

So from Merill’s prompt. 144 word max and use the line I have no skills for flight or wings to skim the waves effortlessly, like the wind itself . Prompt explained here in full..

The Black Hole

He lay back in tall grass, hands behind his head, with a straw sprig dangling his lips like those renderings of old book covers watching seagulls (they were called) dart between tall buildings, over snowcapped mountains, straight through cliffs (with glitches) out around a backyard table of children and cake, over charred cities up into horizons angry busy streets of untold stretches of war, water …

“I wish I had one of those wide straw hats too, to go with this strand Marty … peaceful”

“Letzzzetetzzzmebuddlefiddlefixxxxsssses thingzzsssglipat Ssssszzir … oldoldololddzzzsszz vid stories are cracrascrasssszzzzshingtogtozobdgether a-a-mmm-aaa-a-g-gg-gg-gainnnzznnzzngain“

“Don’t bother (looking to a shingle’s thought above the visor) I have no skills for flight or wings to skim the waves effortlessly, like the wind itself joking irony come to life my friend. No, let them crash together Marty … a new ride, like of those called seagulls huh?”

“Peazzzzsssblipburpful”

Reason? (flash fiction)

by Stephen J Frankenberry4 Comments on Reason? (flash fiction)

From a dVerse Prosery flash fiction prompt that asked to use the line “every day unfurls as it must” but top out at 144 words

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Reason?

The student asked the teacher why everything was so cryptic, so much the riddle, why couldn’t he be more straightforward, forthcoming?

The teacher said nothing

They sat   

Time passed, their season started to change, then changed again and again and again, nature and beasts followed growing and bleating, bucking and wilting, people as well, birthing and burying, peacing and warring, sometimes thinking bold new thoughts in the midst

Stars became from dust, glowed, warmed, exploded then back to dust with some even coming to be holes in the heavens

Those heavens? They were subject to the same passing of time, beliefs and disbeliefs, comforts and heresy’s to confound

The teacher stirred

“Every day unfurls as it must” he said “I can give you answers as we sit or you can be more witness, be of them, die with them. What would you prefer?”