Dusty Writes

Untitled (a limerick)

January 6th, 2024

My thoughts after writing this were thus:

I decided to challenge myself with something new so I wrote a poem today. Perhaps I will write more. Perhaps I will never rhyme again. Who can say? I am a mystery to myself.
Six Word Story #2

January 6th, 2024

“Hope these old parachutes open… jump!”

It has always felt as though TV and movies were preparing me for a situation in which I might unexpectedly have to jump from an airplane. Fortunately, I have avoided this scenario so far.

Of course, one does not necessarily need to believe in the accuracy of parachuting scenes from the movies:
Three Sentence Story #1

January 5th, 2024

A disbelieving John Bennett stumbled out into the river and its rushing current made his knees buckle, though he managed not to fall.

“Dear God, please stop that fish,” he moaned helplessly. Unfortunately for John and his wedding ring, the Lord did not answer his prayer and the catfish swam away.

This story was kind of born out of a twenty year old prompt. A friend of mine once tried to get a group of us to play a game wherein he would introduce a prompt and someone would have to write a story around the prompt. One of the prompts in the game was “Dead God, please stop that fish” (or something very near to that,) and for some reason I have never been able to let that prompt go.

This three sentence story was my attempt to craft a very short story around it. I also had an idea about someone watching helplessly as an order of salmon was served to the wrong person (with the error creating large consequences.)

I live in a part of the United States where people go noodling. In my imagination, a guy who was noodling bare-handed, and despite his wife’s stern admonition against, came to regret the decision.
The Burning Man

January 5th, 2024

The Burning Man

My bones are a burning bonfire
but by flames I’m not consumed.
You might flee if you see the pyre.
So – for your sake – I am entombed
in ice to hide heat and brightness
from your eyes. You see me and know
nothing. I show only whiteness.
The forge inside rages hot, though.
Our frozen shield will not survive.
Winter must relent to summer.
I can’t hold back and stay alive.
Stay close. Burn with me if you can.
Or else ring alarm bells and give
warning – “Beware the burning man!”

_____________________________________

This poem was an attempt at a few things. I wanted to play around with meter and enjambment to create a sort of chaotic feel because the feeling of passion is a little out of control most of the time. The poem is about being knowingly passionate about ________ but hiding that from other people for social reasons. Of course, one can only hide a passion for so long. The hope is that when it gets out, someone shares the passion and burns with you, but the fear is that they are freaked out.

“Bro has an entire room in his house dedicated to Star Wars memorabilia.”

I like the poem, but while I think playing around with the meter and structure was authentic to the subject matter, it detracted from its readability.
Six Word Story #1

January 5th, 2024

Panic.
Fleeing.
Grabbed.

“Tag, you’re it!”

This was my first Six Word Story. It was a bit of cheating to use the contraction. The game of tag is pretty universal, but one thing I liked about writing from this perspective was that it became a reminder as to why some children might have so much trouble regulating emotions. Being a healthy human is learning how to feel a fight or flight impulse, or knowingly inducing that in others, but without becoming overwhelmed.

Perhaps “tag” might help one keep a cool head in intense situations later in life .
Dusty Writes

January 5th, 2024

Welcome to my new WordPress site. Here you will find poetry, Six Word Stories, short stories, and various other attempts at creativity on my part. Since I have already composed a lot of those things on my other site, I will be importing a lot of that old work over here, while simultaneously giving myself license to make changes and edits where they seem necessary to me. I will also include new work as well.

I hope you enjoy it.

Untitled (a limerick)

Six Word Story #2

Three Sentence Story #1

The Burning Man

Six Word Story #1

Dusty Writes