Tempestuous Times

cmurrey clothesline Flickr

Photo: cmurrey, Flickr

 

“These are tempestuous times,” she said

And her strong hands wrung the laundered sheets

To squeeze out suds

As she would want

To push out infiltrated evil.

“I’ve seen hardship before,” she stirred

The linens

In the boiling vat,

Simmering the despair

Till it foamed and evaporated

Into bleached hope.

“Wrong does not last,” she rinsed

And wrung

And shook

And hung

The wash

Till it fluttered

Free

To dry,

Only the barest of stains

Still visible

In the sun.

 

Merriam-Webster’s word for July 30, 2018:

Tempestuous

This post continues the blogging challenge in which Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day, serves as inspiration a-la the “Daily Prompt.”

Want to join me? Feel free to link to this post on your blog, and/or post a link to your blogpost in the comment section below so others can enjoy it, too. Poetry, photography, short stories, anecdotes: Go for it!

For more visibility, tag your post with #WordOfDayNY, so your post can be searchable.

“Follow” me if you want to receive future prompts, or just pop in when you’re looking for inspiration. Here’s to the fun of writing and our ever-evolving blogging community!

 

A Meter Above

work in progress masterpiece

Photo: Pinterest

 

He came in with a poem.

“I used to hate this stuff,” he noted, holding the page face down so I won’t peek while he explains. “But after you showed me ‘A Light in the Attic’ and told me what all this poetry word salad stuff means …” He grinned, pleased at being able to insert one of the expressions from last week. “I think it’s kinda’ fun, actually.”

He lifted his hand from the page, but left it hovering an inch above the white expanse. “You might not like this,” he warned. “It’s sort of a rap song. You know. People my age like those …”

I chuckled. “I know I’m much older than you but I actually don’t mind rap. It’s only when the language is really inappropriate that I don’t care for it.”

He peered at me, only half-convinced. “Anyway … no cuss words here. Even my mom said it’s fine. The first words are from her fridge magnet thingy.”

He turned the page and cleared his throat. “But tell me if you really like it, okay?” he glanced up, suddenly a lot less certain and a lot more the little boy. He took a deep breath. “Here goes …”

“As above

So below.

We learn more

As we go.

So make sure

To go slow.”

 

 

For The Daily Post