Another Friday rolls up to offer our brains a wrestle with that fetching little fussy form, the flash fiction 55, brought to the world by a man not fussy and who probably would not relate to fetching, Galen Hayes. Thank you, G-man, (hopefully being entertained by our attempts wherever the good go) for this ever-reliable basket of tricks. The rules are simple, no rules except the word count, 55 of them, no more no less, in any style, shape or slant that offers itself up to your pen. Visiting, commenting, etc is entirely optional because, this is purely about you, writing. Link your result in the comments below between Friday and Saturday at midnight, and I will be by to read what you have rustled up.
Now for a little spelunking...
The Cave
I won't go into the cave, I said
but I'll come as far as the edge. I
heard you laugh
and promise
you had all the
night inside; moon
stars,
pearled city lights,
fireflies,wine-
silvered dreams.
Come you hissed,
louder, redder;
Oh no my dear oh no
I learned long ago
what lives in
caves.
~May 2018
Images: Cave Finn, opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, 1900 ©Ivan Bilbin Public domain.
Detail, Minotaur with dead horse in front of a cave facing a girl in a veil, 1936, ©Pablo Picasso
Fair Use.
oh hell yes. the turn in stanza 4; the voice in this, as though the minotaur's stench precedes him, and wise is this lass to that silver tongued hisser.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a kick-ass weekend, as I get to sit the yellow-eyed pooch as his humans go visit a cousin graduating from college.
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Man that was good. You never disappoint, and I hope Yellow-eyes and you can romp and act silly while the eagle-eyed kids are away on important young adult stuff.
DeleteBy 'man that was good' btw, I meant your 55, though I also appreciate your comment and kind words greatly, of course. :_P
Delete*sigh* I have been fooled by red lies and red promises. Stay at the edge, my friend.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Thank you Monica.
DeleteHere you have it. http://somethingsithinkabout-annell-annell.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteAlways good to have you, annell.
DeleteSuch brilliant breaks, especially between the fist and second stanza. I love the picture painted by that "I" hovering at the edge, refusing to go in all the way, because she knows what lies ahead...
ReplyDeleteWise thing - not to fall for these red promises. This hisser is filled with hubris, by the way....maybe some have fallen for his lies in the past? Loved the malevolent voice.
ReplyDeleteHmm, ya think?? :P Thanks Vivian. And I loved your 'explosive' 55. Thanks so much for playing.
DeleteHere's mine
ReplyDeletehttp://smellthecoffeeweb.com/2018/05/18/firecracker/
Ah, the seduction of the unknown place - the cave, so essential to the human psyche. I especially like the voice, in this poem, Joy and the line breaks.
ReplyDeleteI have crept from my cave to write a small something:
http://kerryoconnorsother.blogspot.co.za/2018/05/fardel.html
The 55 is very handy at dragging things out of caves, I've found. ;_) Thanks so much for reading, and for writing, Kerry. Each is a gift much appreciated.
DeleteBeyond those thresholds coif dragon coils ... This is dainty and seductive and dreadful and wise at once. What the speaker has learned surely was earned at great price. Something about this makes me think of what Jung said of the difference between James Joyce and his mad daughter Lucia -- he dove where she drowned. Can we remember the difference? Stevens said the poem must resist reality but only somewhat successfully ... Sorry I've nothing to 55 this round, too many irons on the vatic fire. Thanks for another treat.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've found the 55 to be good for is shaping simple things into primal ones...and yes, a comparison which begs to be made...I think the actual process of drowning, unless of course, you have already made that final series of choices, draws you either back to dry land or further into the waters, to sightsee in scuba gear, if nothing else. Thanks for reading, B--and of course, no rules/obligations here about anything. I hope your irons bend nicely to the sometimes inexplicable but always inevitable Mjölnir of the muse.
DeleteIs that a snake in there, or the Fox Confessor? Either way, the light of day is better than the night things he has in store for you inside.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, dear BFF, I have been hobbled and swamped with my FBF thing and so I am a day late but here nonetheless.
http://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2018/05/thought-broadcasting.html
Thanks for making time for the 55, dear Shay--and with such an excellent one.
DeleteThanks for hosting the 55 this weekend Hedge. And I've pulled something in a 3 for 1, combining Fireblossom's prompt, the 55 and Brendan's Saturday prompt at Toads - because my brain is still scrambled eggs on toast.
ReplyDeleteHope it fits the seagull's bill this week.
my link: http://papertiger88.blogspot.ca/2018/05/black-white-angels.html
as for your spelunking - in The Cave - well, damn, what's the point of pulling lines when you realize that you'd be literally c/p the whole thing?
Each line, each word phrase and break is so damn perfect.I mean seriously. This is one nasty (but amazing) word "jerk" conversation - it has a fairy-tale quality, des frères Grimm, essences. Which makes it delicious in an unconventional but wholly appreciated way. This kicks ass. Hope you had a kick ass weekend.
Thanks willow--I'm so glad you got into it. I find it very hard to write anything these days, and I'm always very grateful to hear that something worked. (I'm sure you know how it feels when you just have no idea if anything you slammed against the wall stuck.)Your own three-pronged attack was something else--definitely shiver-inducing.
DeleteThanks to everyone who came by to play or to read--my deep thanks to you all for helping me keep this meme alive. We are closed til next Friday;see you then.
ReplyDelete