Horrorscopes Make Her Cranky

Well, Jenny over at Saturday Centus has “done done it agin,” as we say in the Deep South. With the help of Clearspace, she has come up with a writing prompt with a twist. If you are unfamiliar with Saturday Centus, just click on the link above to learn the rules.

You know those horoscopes in newspapers? One of those will be our prompt for this week. We are to pic one randomly from a paper or a web site and write a story using the usual <100 words about the kind of day that horoscope "predicts". When you have linked up your contribution and read the others, be sure to visit Jenny at ...off on my tangent. Please try to read all the entries and give some feedback. That’s what a blogging community is all about, and you will see some very smart, original writing there.

I am and Aries, whatever that means, and I got mine from a web site called dailyhoroscopes.com and here it is:


Saturday, November 27 2010

You may have noticed that your old zest is back and your social life is picking up--you will seek out new people, maybe even a new job. Being more involved with neighbors or sibling(s) satisfies a deep emotional need. A new cycle begins for you, signaling a greater than usual interest in relationships, social connections and the arts. A family squabble helps to show off your problem-solving abilities. You are able to see both sides of an issue. The situation calls for understanding and compromise. Marriage and other close relationships come to your attention today as you express your appreciation for other people in your life. This is a time to enjoy and appreciate your ties to others, and to seek and promote harmony.

What am I supposed to do with that, and in less than 100 words, to boot? This will take some thought, but my on-call day has been quiet so far, so maybe I will get it done today.

Here goes:


Horrorscopes Make Her Cranky

Her “old zest” having turned rancid the day before Thanksgiving with the return of profound depression, cj certainly disputed the first sentence. Not her. Ditto the garbage about “greater than usual” interests. She was satisfied with the ones she had.

A family squabble? Happened weeks ago when she
admonished her stepchildren to “Be Nice or Leave” on family night - AKA the Jerry Springer Show.

Marriage? After only 18 months, she still felt very married to her late husband.

Who ARE these people?

She decided to climb back into bed and pull the covers over her head.


© cj Schlottman

Chalice of Hope

11/26/10

Give Thanks


Today is Friday, which means it is Six Word Fridays at Melissa’s Making Things Up. To learn how it all works, visit her Six Word Fridays info page.

This week’s prompt, “Give Thanks,” is a hard one for me this Thanksgiving season. I almost skipped it altogether. My depression, after lurking beneath the surface for a couple of months, has manifested itself in a great sadness in me. To illustrate, here is a link to my last post, Cupcakes.

It is hard for me to be grateful when I am so bogged down in my heart and my spirit and my soul. However, this morning, I read a post by Christine over at Hope Despite Depression in which she states that she is grateful for her depression. I am not grateful for this black cloud, but Christie inspired me to search my soul for reasons to be grateful.

So here goes.


Chalice of Hope

A blue sky through a veil
of tears still lights the earth
and sea, creates a backdrop
across which birds soar and butterflies
flit from flower to flower, dancing
in the wind on their rounds.

Sad dog eyes, soft pawings of
concern still carry utter belief in me
soothe my wounds, stop the bleeding.

A tear stained face can still
reflect hope of climbing from the
pit into light, escaping the chill
of frozen hopes into warm sunshine.

A fractured heart holds the possibiity
of mending, pieces melding once more
to weld it, cracked and crooked,
into a chalice filled with hope.


© cj Schlottman

Thanksgiving at Small Stories and Stuff

11/20/10

"Pardon me," said Tom T. Urkee..."

That’s this week’s prompt from Jenny Matlock’s Saturday Centus. Trot on over to her site by clicking on the Saturday Centus link above to learn all about it. You will find a diverse community of talented and supportive writers. Be sure to read all of the posts. If you don’t, you’ll no doubt miss something really good. Also, check out Jenny’s ...off on my tangent. She’s a great writer.

My take on this week’s prompt:


Sitting in the Corner Café, the group spoke of Thanksgiving - where they would be, who they would see, the most dreaded relative who would attend.

They chewed on toast and drank coffee, and the conversation died away as they lost themselves in thought.

"Pardon me," said Tom T. Urkee, as he waddled to the table. “May I sit down?” He perched on a chair, and the conversation once more sprang to life.

“We were discussing Thanksgiving. You know, the holiday we love to hate.”

“Jeez, folks,” gobbled Tom. How the heck do you think I feel? I’m on the menu.”


© cj Schlottman

Early November - 11/17/10

Well, here I am again, entering my Saturday Centus on Wednesday. On call all weekend, then two drives to Atlanta for concerts. Enough excuses. As most of you know, Saturday Centus is one Jenny Matlock’s many ingenious writing exercises. If you aren’t familiar with it, please click on her Saturday Centus link above and learn how to become a participant. You will find a community of great - if somewhat disturbed - (and you know who you are [Tom] ) writers. Please read and comment on all the posts. You will find some fine writing and want to join in yourself! And be sure to check out Jenny's Blog, off on my tangent....

This week’s prompt from Jenny is:
"The early November sunshine cast golden rays..."
Here is my conribution. The prompt is in italics.


Early November at Small Stories and Stuff



The early November

sunshine cast golden rays

on the creek, shone amber,

glinted on the marsh grass.

Tide running low, dolphins

rolled their way back to sea

in the afternoon glow.

Great Blue Herons took flight

soaring to their roosting

trees across the expanse

of waving fingers of gold.

In flocks, Egrets joined in

winging their way home.

The sun shone its last sparks

of light, dropped beneath

the horizon, seeking

its own resting place.


© cj Schlottman