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The Writing Prompt for this short story by WATL member Lori Hudson was, “There is distant thunder, but the sky is clear.”
“It isn’t that I don’t love you,” Jim said. “We just need some space. I think we should meet some new people. Stay friends, for sure, but … like … not committed. Or at least not so much.”
“What does that mean, ‘not so committed,’” I asked coldly.
“I mean, just, you know … we should try some new things.”
“What new things?”
“I don’t know, different things. Why are you making this so hard?”
“Have you met someone?”
“No! No! That isn’t it at all.”
“Then what is it?”
“There isn’t any ‘it.’ I just think we should give each other room to explore.”
“You have met someone.”
“No! I haven’t!”
Jim put his hand on his heart. “I promise! On my honor! May lightning strike me dead if I’m lying.”
I heard thunder in the distance, but when I looked up, the sky was clear.
©2015 by Lori Hudson
Sometimes we wish or dream for something that may take us to a place we didn’t expect to be. The prompt for this poem was “Some dreams are dangerous.” The poem was written by WATL member Mary Fox, who is a very gifted poet.
Some dreams
cloud our morning coffee
with foggy intentions
then exhale distorting mists,
cloaking barriers to blind us.
We grope through them
and find bruised knees.
Some dreams are seductive sirens;
they coo and entice us with sweet promises.
They are heart-pounding kisses,
embroiled in passion,
depleting us, infecting us, and leaving us bereft.
Some dreams grow relentless;
unheeding, treacherous vortexes,
they tornado around us, spinning us
dizzy in swirling kaleidoscope potential.
Some dreams are just reckless.
They hijack us at crossroads,
and, brakeless, run stoplights,
ram barricades
and ping-pong the curves.
Some dreams just slither round our hearts,
and wrapping themselves in
ever-tightening loops,
squeeze us breathless.
Some dreams—
just too dangerous
to ignore.
©2014 Mary Fox
©2014 Photo of Lake Superior taken by Rosalie Sanara Petrouske
