tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post1260158054035990102..comments2024-03-24T11:17:10.498-07:00Comments on Unemployed Imagination.: 2 Minutes. Go!JD Maderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-75706223893545536652014-12-06T09:14:58.523-08:002014-12-06T09:14:58.523-08:00lol
lol<br />JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-12870744666911075932014-12-06T09:14:46.170-08:002014-12-06T09:14:46.170-08:00Ha! I think a lot of people feel this in some way ...Ha! I think a lot of people feel this in some way or have. Really deftly rendered. I especially like the phrase 'sodden silence'. This is real, also crafted very well. Cheers!JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-58051325516135701522014-12-05T21:45:06.127-08:002014-12-05T21:45:06.127-08:00This comment was deleted because it was intended a...This comment was deleted because it was intended as a reply, but the author of said comment was clearly inept and unable to follow the simplest of instructions. He regrets any confusion that may result from this deletion.Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-44087349235604063492014-12-05T21:39:51.478-08:002014-12-05T21:39:51.478-08:00Ouch. I think I dated him. Good realism.Ouch. I think I dated him. Good realism.Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-77588277615052009892014-12-05T21:39:03.802-08:002014-12-05T21:39:03.802-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-19628862370494356592014-12-05T21:23:32.226-08:002014-12-05T21:23:32.226-08:00She rolled the beer around on her tongue. Bitter h... She rolled the beer around on her tongue. Bitter hops and a hint of citrus. <br /> "So," she began. Then wished she hadn't. Now she had to go on. "How was work?"<br /> It was a lame start, but something had to break the sodden silence. <br /> "Fine. You?"<br /> "You know. More of the same."<br /> Another silence. He stirred his coffee, staring at the swirling liquid as if it held the answer to an unknown question. She tried again.<br /> "Do you want to do anything this weekend? I think that new movie is coming out."<br /> "Sure."<br /> Another silence. She sighed and wished she could slip a Zoloft into his coffee.<br />Beth, on the farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16901930096015753912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-91900335285454692142014-12-05T19:52:04.126-08:002014-12-05T19:52:04.126-08:00This IS fun... I am somewhat familiar with how guy...This IS fun... I am somewhat familiar with how guys "hunt"... it's fascinating to see from the female perspective!Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-34531975885923119192014-12-05T18:50:37.161-08:002014-12-05T18:50:37.161-08:00And that may be the best set of last words I'v...And that may be the best set of last words I've ever heard... "Buenas noches, amigos." Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-2522480262352547512014-12-05T18:34:08.171-08:002014-12-05T18:34:08.171-08:00Everything is packed into it - all the weird misse...Everything is packed into it - all the weird missed kisses and dark, heartbroken nights - all that shit is there, waiting for you. You can tap into it, but you can't always turn the tap off and you start to feel redundant and there's nothing worse than that. I mean, there are worse things. <br /><br />Not everyone gets famous last words. Pancho VIlla said something close to: "Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."<br /><br />I hope I don't get any. Whatever takes me, whenever it takes me, I hope it doesn't give me the chance to open my mouth because I'll just put my foot in there. I can't handle that pressure. Shit, Pancho Villa couldn't suck that up. <br /><br />I'll go quickly and quietly. Or loudly with much complaining. So be it. Buenas noches, amigos.JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-90284837924759198782014-12-05T18:32:27.186-08:002014-12-05T18:32:27.186-08:00Oh, I'd LOVE hearing their feedback! Thank you...Oh, I'd LOVE hearing their feedback! Thank you!<br />Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-60908489034410420902014-12-05T18:23:48.357-08:002014-12-05T18:23:48.357-08:00Yep, super dope. Yep, super dope. JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-63703304152149503212014-12-05T18:22:08.667-08:002014-12-05T18:22:08.667-08:00When I was in college, a lot of people said my sho...When I was in college, a lot of people said my short stories were kind of like parables or fables. They always said this apologetically. I always wondered why. People don't say that anymore. Whatever. This is dope. I love fables. Just a thought, this would make an AWESOME children's book. I'm gonna read it to the girls tonight. I'll report back.JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-71664276442534879442014-12-05T18:21:30.175-08:002014-12-05T18:21:30.175-08:00I'm ready for part 4 now.I'm ready for part 4 now.Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-81386090006030666282014-12-05T18:18:56.922-08:002014-12-05T18:18:56.922-08:00LOL, I like that. Thank you.LOL, I like that. Thank you.Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-1365723245494262332014-12-05T18:16:24.627-08:002014-12-05T18:16:24.627-08:00Yup. I'm no musician, but I got there a few ti...Yup. I'm no musician, but I got there a few times. Well done.JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-54839989659487700792014-12-05T18:11:50.306-08:002014-12-05T18:11:50.306-08:00Word. Sometimes, I'm surprised at the number o...Word. Sometimes, I'm surprised at the number of stories in my head. Yours must be like a circus on acid. In a good way. I'm so glad you share.JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-67792923928189515642014-12-05T18:09:59.878-08:002014-12-05T18:09:59.878-08:00Loving this. A bit of Aesop, a lot of Leland.Loving this. A bit of Aesop, a lot of Leland.Laurie Borishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08361627047571650547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-76484711165570092382014-12-05T18:09:17.463-08:002014-12-05T18:09:17.463-08:00I couldn't stop, and went on with the story:
...I couldn't stop, and went on with the story:<br /><br />Bobcat was growing tired. Felines were not intended for this sort of work. Eat, sleep and play, these were Bobcat’s reasons for living. He longed for a safe place for a nap and was beginning to drowse off when he heard a noise. His tufted ears and his active nose told him Coyote was near. Coyote was not Bobcat’s friend. Coyote had eaten Bobcat’s cousin. Still, Coyote was not stupid. Once she understood the importance of holding the tree that held the sky, she would be peaceful. Or so Bobcat hoped.<br />Coyote’s nose revealed itself from the tall grasses. Her eyes opened wide when she realized that the story the scent told was true. There was a Bobcat, unafraid, within bounding distance. This was not how the game was supposed to be played. There were rules to be followed, and Bobcat was not playing by these rules of old.<br />“What are you doing?” asked Coyote.<br />“Very important work. I’m holding the tree that holds the sky.”<br />Coyote looked at the sky, then at the top of the tree. Yes, all connected. “What happens if you let go?”<br />“If I let go, the tree falls, the sky falls, and the world ends.”<br />Coyote tilted her head and pondered. It made a sort of sense. “How long have you been doing this?”<br />“Only a short while. It’s Cottontail’s job, but he was hungry and needed to eat. And so do, I am starving. I don’t suppose…”<br />“Don’t suppose what?”<br />“Would you hold the tree just for a little bit? Just long enough for me to find a packrat or other morsel?”<br />Coyote decided this work allowed rules to be broken and agreed. She pushed against the tree exactly as Bobcat was doing. “Don’t be long. I need supper, too.”<br />“I promise. Either Cottontail or I will be back quickly. Thank you.”<br />Bobcat loped out of the riverbed and began his hunt. He laughed when he realized he didn’t have to go back at all. Munching on a large mouse, Bobcat curled into a ball and slept.<br />Coyote was reasonable, but she was getting suspicious. Why had neither Cottontail nor Bobcat returned? Why did the weight of this responsibility fall to her? Didn’t she have enough to do, trying to keep her pups fed? She looked up at the tree top again. Winter-empty branches touched the sky, but did they hold it? What would happen if… <br />Just as she considered this, the clumsy footsteps and the unclean smell of Man entered her reality. She should run. Still, Man had built a house. Surely he knew the importance of keeping the sky from falling. So Coyote waited. <br />Man jumped back in amazement. “Brother Coyote, why do you not run?”<br />“I am performing a very important task. More important than any fear I have of you.”<br />The man rubbed his chin. “What is this task?”<br />“I hold the tree that holds the sky up. If I let go, the sky will fall.”<br />Man laughed. “That’s silly. The sky will not fall. It is not held up by trees.” He laughed more.<br />Coyote grew incensed. “Silly human. You leave it to us animals to hold the sky? You will not take your turn?”<br />“Animals?”<br />“Yes, Cottontail, Bobcat, and I have all taken our turns. Now it is your turn so I can get food for my pups.”<br />“Very well,” said Man. “I will hold it for a bit. Until Cottontail, Bobcat, or you return.” He placed his hands on the bark of the trunk. Coyote raced to find dinner for her hungry children. Coyote didn’t laugh. Coyote was glad to be free of the burden.<br />Man looked at the sky and appreciated its blue. Man looked at the tree and longed for its summer foliage. Man laughed at himself for listening to Coyote. What if…. And he let go of the tree.<br />And the sky fell.<br />And the blue of the sky spilled into the lakes and the oceans. And Coyote never trusted Man again.<br /><br />864 words in 15 minutes may be a new record for me...Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-25242174199792127702014-12-05T18:07:51.615-08:002014-12-05T18:07:51.615-08:00I disavow any knowledge of anything related to thi...I disavow any knowledge of anything related to this social experiment. That said, the first taste is always free, I'm just slow. I'll start charging in the new year. ;)JD Maderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13058074115809620653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-64036942530370194752014-12-05T17:52:07.200-08:002014-12-05T17:52:07.200-08:00I'm really liking this story, and the characte...I'm really liking this story, and the characters... thank you for introducing me to the word zaftig... This story has legs... let it walk or run wherever it will take you, and us!Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-32399950536143895052014-12-05T17:48:21.641-08:002014-12-05T17:48:21.641-08:00The Painter, Part 3;
Immersed in capturing the v...The Painter, Part 3;<br /><br /><br />Immersed in capturing the visuals of sadness, Eugene worked the paint into his canvas until he felt a chill in the room. He almost called out for Miriam to stoke the fire, bring him more coffee, until he remembered that she had gone. He set his brush in the old tin can and wandered the rooms they shared. He stopped in her doorway, conscious of paint splatters that might be on his shoes or clothing. More than once she’s complained, politely as was her way, of paint on her bedspread or furniture. <br />Call it a legacy, he’d joke to her. It’ll be worth more when I die.<br />Some days she found that funnier than others. Not much, though, lately. She looked older than her forty-three years, so much like her mother in her later days. Haggard, people would call it now. Lines forked the space between her nose and chin, gray sprinkled through her dark, silky hair. She was a healthy girl, zaftig, as the neighborhood gossips said, had been since childhood. A tragedy in her adolescence, the extra weight was now protecting her: cushioning her bones, saving her lovely face from premature wrinkling. Or at least it would have been saved if not for her tsuris over him. He tried to picture her with a baby. A baby, at her age, with that Joey character, practically a baby himself. He shook his head and trolled toward the kitchen to make another pot of coffee. If he could only remember where she kept the filters. He supposed he’d have to remember a lot of things now.Laurie Borishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08361627047571650547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-79357344320664515502014-12-05T17:42:49.917-08:002014-12-05T17:42:49.917-08:00Cottontail froze, heard the quiet rustle of the br...Cottontail froze, heard the quiet rustle of the branches. Bobcat! Cottontail knew he couldn’t hide. He flew to the nearest tree and leaned against it, before Bobcat saw him. <br />Bobcat looked at the apparently unafraid cottontail rabbit in surprise. “What are you doing, Brother Cottontail?”<br />“I’m holding this tree up because the tree holds the sky and if I let go the sky will fall.”<br />Bobcat considered this. As far as he knew, the sky had never fallen. But perhaps this rabbit had been holding up the tree for a long while. “How long have you been here?”<br />“A very long time. I need to go get something to eat. Would you hold it just for a moment for me? I’ll be right back.”<br />Bobcat decided this work was important and curtailed his own urge to eat. “Very well. But hurry back. I, too, am hungry.”<br />“I’ll only be a minute. I can smell carrots in the human’s garden. Here, just lean right here against the tree. Got it?”<br />“I do. This is hard work. Go.”<br />Cottontail ran as fast as his feet would carry him and laughed only when he was very far away.<br />Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-72699548886690133242014-12-05T17:41:42.443-08:002014-12-05T17:41:42.443-08:00"procrastination blanket" is fantastic! ..."procrastination blanket" is fantastic! and so is the rest of the story.Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-13745629283940066962014-12-05T17:40:57.518-08:002014-12-05T17:40:57.518-08:00LOL, Ed!LOL, Ed!Leland Dirkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00813252580295128296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128469884487763839.post-21362054947484288842014-12-05T17:40:56.171-08:002014-12-05T17:40:56.171-08:00I know that feeling, I've been in those rooms,...I know that feeling, I've been in those rooms, and took those flights without reservations or baggage. You got it exactly right!Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14634773839102689759noreply@blogger.com