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< For more strength, visit Ailsa’s Travel Theme Challenge.
Month: September 2014
Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance
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< check out the other entries in the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge
Lost
Lost in memories
I am so sorry
that you could not love
my loved ones more
the ones I care about too
whether two or four legged
the ones I can’t
I won’t
live without
You were part of my life
but day by day
you drove me a little bit further away
until you could no longer reach me
until I shut down, and out
slammed the doors to my heart
shut tight
to stop the bleeding
I care about you still
but can not share my life
with you anymore
I need more
I am more
than what you want me to be
let me be
I need to be
me
—
I wrote this for Writing 101: Serially Lost: Today, write about a loss. The twist: make this the first post in a three-post series.
Faces of Africa – 38
Insecure.
The Blood of my Soul
Ghost Love Score by Nightwish
Years ago I fell in love with Nightwish’s music. I was introduced to this band by my best friend and for that I’m forever grateful. For his friendship too by the way. Ghost Love Score is not a song; it’s a story on its own. Because of the changes in tempo. Because of the story telling. It is orchestral and brings out epic images and feelings in me. Don’t be alarmed by the heavy intro, for it will get lighter along the way and soon you’ll be caught up in the music. Close your eyes and listen. It will take ten minutes and I dare you to sit still! Of course I should be writing now, but I’m whistling and singing. In today’s challenge a lack of inspiration is not the main obstruction for writing; the music is! And I love every second.
Gravity by Sara Bareilles
Whenever this lady sings, I listen. Whenever she brings out an album, I purchase it. Funny songs like King of Anything and Fairytale make me smile. But this song, Gravity, is sung from the heart. The smallness is its grandeur. The feelings resonate in my own soul and I’m lost in thoughts and memories. And my voice blends in with Sara’s. Not because it’s that good, but because she sticks to the lower universes of vocal kingdoms that I can reach too. Repeat…
So She Dances by Josh Groban
His voice is a warm embrace. A relaxing bath after a day’s hard work. And he’s cute too. So She Dances lifts me up to dreams of grace and love. Close but elusive. Lovely!
Music is the blood of my soul…
I wrote this for Writing 101: Commit to a Writing Practice. “Today, celebrate three songs that are significant to you. For your twist, write for fifteen minutes without stopping — and build a writing habit.”
Sanctuary
The room was red, alive with liquid candlelight. A single window opened into a small courtyard and the scent of rosemary and lavender caressed the air. There was a full moon that night; silver wrapped itself around the golden glow, merging into silence, light and books. Old tomes, their wisdom gathered in layers of dust. Small books, leaking words in children’s voices. They spoke of adventures, of play and happiness. Others emanated evil, only held in check by their paper barriers. In the middle of the room a sofa, its blood color matching the walls.
There was no door, no way out… no way in…
And that was all she needed. Unable to hold on to reality, her fragile mind let go and fled to the only place she longed to be. Curled up on the couch, she read and read, her body forgotten.
I wrote this for Writing 101: A Room with a View. “We’re all drawn to certain places. If you had the power to get somewhere — anywhere — where would you go right now? For your twist, focus on building a setting description.”
Instant Granny
Family planning. Your partner is your soul mate and best friend. Your children successfully glide through their studies and find a great job. Then straight into grandchildren. Yeah, right. When you’re young, you think starting a family is something you plan. Something you can carefully control. Well, those plans don’t always work out the way we hope or want.
The first time I was thinking about starting a family, I was engaged. It was a magical and exciting time. Young love, total faith and… blissfully blind to signs that were clear to all but me. Apparently an engagement is not always enough reason to be faithful. So when my dream was shattered into a million shiny and sharp pieces – slicing my heart in two – my plans for family-making were put on hold. Dumped in the freezer, stuck in time.
But the cold was soothing, and after a while my heart mended and I did get married. My college friend Suzan and I had once struck a deal: we would start a soccer team together and both have four children. They would be so talented, that only eight were enough for the team. She held her part of the bargain and had three sons and one daughter. I, on the other hand, had to stop after two: my body didn’t agree with my family plans. Plus my sons didn’t care for soccer. 😉 But a family it was.
A divorce and two partners later, again I wonder about my family. What happened to family planning? My eldest son is still at home, but my youngest broke off his education and left the nest to live with his girlfriend. But he did go straight into grandchildren. No engagement or marriage: with his lady, he also got two ready-made children.
So all of a sudden I’m an instant granny. From mother to grandmother in the blink of an eye. I don’t need to change diapers or babysit. England is a bit too far to do that on regular basis, and the kids are already potty trained at the age of nine and six. Family planning, yep.
But you know what? I really don’t care that my life is not going the way I originally planned. Each new experience has made my life richer, stronger. And my sons are happy as they are. They have enough faith to make their own choices in life. And that’s what is most important.
Instant Granny… *shakes her head and wonders*
I wrote this for Writing 101: Unlock the Mind. These prompts do seem to work well, for I had no idea what would flow from my fingers. The assignment: To get started, let’s loosen up. Let’s unlock the mind. Today, take twenty minutes to free write. And don’t think about what you’ll write. Just write. And I did.
Travel theme: Noise
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< For more noise, visit Ailsa’s Travel Theme Challenge.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Humanity
THIRDEYEMOM – writer, blogger and social good advocate – provides us with this week’s Photo Challenge: Humanity:
The more I see the world, the more I realize that although people are different, we’re very much the same. We speak different languages, have different cultures, religions, values, and physical traits, yet we all share common hopes and dreams of love, family, and survival. When I travel, I’m inspired to take photographs that capture humanity — of everyday people around the world — and provoke compassion and an understanding of our differences. My favorite photos capture the emotions of others and spark a curiosity about their lives. For me, these images reflect humanity and create connections between us.
As you may know, last May I’ve been to Malawi with a group of education students. In two weeks they exchanged teaching methods, personal and professional experiences and also lots of fun. This photo for me expresses what humanity is about.
Dare to be different. Dare to be the same.
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< check out the other entries in the Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge
Figments of a DuTchess 