The following was written by Writers in the Grove member, Lorelle VanFossen, inspired by Prompt: Three Line Poetry.
“I had to get it as it looked just like you.”
Hot pink and orange, plastic and metal, indescribable.
“Thank you, I know exactly where to put it.”
This is by Writers in the Grove member, Lorelle VanFossen, inspired by Prompt: The Party Conversation.
She walked over to the counter with the coffee. Appearing relaxed, she’d floated across the room, not a care in the world, back turned to the thirty or forty people chatting away behind her, no ripple in her wake.
I knew the moment the two sat next to each other that this was an oil-meets-flame moment. Against the black leather couch, her swept-up blond hair back-lit by the orange glow of the porcelain lamp behind them, white silk blouse shimmering around her bare neckline, tinged gold in the amber lighting, contrasted strongly against his dark curls, evening shadow along cheeks and chin above the freshly ironed, crisp linen long sleeve shirt. Beauty and beauty, I thought. That is what others will see. The perfect couple. But I knew them. Beauty and the beast with no happy love song or shared interest between them.
He was the gentle one, razor sharp on the outside, marshmallow opinions on the inside. Nothing Ray ever did in his life caused conflict or disorder. It was all about order, precision with self, never others.
She was all angles, knives and chains in her soul, soft and wispy on the outside. Her tongue left bloody slices on the delicate in her wake.
A small part of me was intrigued to see the fireworks these two could spark, yet terrified of the showdown that could happen right in front of everyone. The only saving grace and commonality the two shared was decorum, spelled with a capital D. This wasn’t just a noun to them. It was a law.
“Let no one see you sweat,” was her motto. She meant it in life as well as exercise. A hard-boiled attorney, she could make knees quake the moment she stepped into a court room.
“Never let them see your pain,” was his mantra, determined to not let anyone feel, see, or experience pain, never to share his own as well. Pain was for wimps, those not strong enough to endure. As a doctor, he’d listen but never absorbed the experience of his patients. Sympathy, yes, but empathy? That was lacking in his psychic gene pool.
Introducing Callie to Ray, I stepped back, wine glass in hand, and watched, drifting into the shadows of the party’s energy, my specialty. “Never let them see you,” was the invisible line on my personal calling card.
They were casual at first, toes dipped in the pool of conversational politeness. I knew Ray would never touch politics or religion, so they were safe there, but I knew Callie hated small talk, not caring about weather, sports, modern entertainment, or gossip. She was a political body, a raging Democrat from hair follicle to toe nail. He was a soft Republican, not religious, not greedy, just determined to keep his own.
I couldn’t tell what lit the embers to a slow burn. His face tightened. Her lips froze into a plastic smile. I thought a coffee interruption might part the stormy waters. Both smiled at me, fury in their eyes. I passed the full coffee cup to Callie, then Ray, and faded back into the crowd.
By the time she stood up to walk away ten minutes later, her cheeks flamed, hand gripped the coffee cup to breaking. His face was white, teeth and hands clenched.
Ah, to have been a bee in their bonnets. I watched and licked my lips, eager for more.
Wintersong is Writer’s in the Grove’s First Annual Juried Winter Reading Event on Saturday, January 16, 2016, a public reading in the Mt. Jefferson Room, Jennings-McCall Center, 2300 Masonic Way, Forest Grove, OR, from 1:30 PM to about 3:00.
Writer’s in the Grove is currently accepting submissions from writers of one or more pieces of prose or poetry that can be read aloud within four minutes. Entries must be original, written by the applicant, and not infringe upon copyrights. Selection is based upon originality, writing style, and quality of work, and humor is appreciated. Some preference may be given to authors who’ve never read at Lend an Ear. Submissions must be family friendly.
To enter your submission, please use this Wintersong Submission Application 2015-2016.
The event is open to the public, free, and welcome to all. Please join us for a delightful afternoon on Saturday, January 16 at 1:30PM.
The prompt this week was inspired by the concept of the three line poetry, a poem limited to 3 lines. Called a tercet, a haiku-style poem written rhymed or unrhymed as a triplet, a complete stanza in three lines. Three Line Poetry, a part of Prolific Press (bookstore), accepts submissions of three line poetry for publishing in their books.
The prompt was to write a three line poem inspired by gifts, gift-giving, gift-receiving, or the concept of gifts in general.
The Forest Grove Senior and Community Center will be closed on January 18 for Martin Luther King Day. Paula and Parks Adams have again offered their home in downtown Forest Grove for the 9AM meeting.
While they traditionally serve snacks and have food for lunch afterwards, please bring a small potluck or snack to add to the mix.
We usually do something special on these workshop events, including multiple prompts, so expect to really sharpen up your creative writing skills in January!
If you require the address and directions, please use our contact form.
The following is by member, Lorelle VanFossen, and based upon the Prompt: I Fit the Description.
Brakes squealed on the street net to where we walked. I glanced over to watch a car jam in front of another to reach a parking spot.
“Asshole.” It slipped out unconsciously.
The client walking next to me, a middle aged man with a problem he determined I could solve during one just completed lunch meeting, responded, “I just love red heads. Such fiery tempers. That’s why I hired you on the spot. With hair the color of yours, I knew you had what it took to get the job done.”
If I didn’t need the money, I would have called him an asshole, too. Instead, I made a mental note to check the bathroom trash at home to retrieve the box of hair dye.
– – – – – – – –
We define ourselves to differentiate, then expect society to change. I live and work in an industry where the freedom of speech can be a death sentence and the invisibility of the virtual world comes with a magnifying glass.
The prompt this week was inspired by the blog post by Steve Locke called “I fit the description….” The photograph taken by the author features him wearing a knit cap, sunglasses, hoody covered by a jacket, slacks, fashion tennis shoes, and a Boston College faculty identity card on a lanyard, which the article describes in more depth.
This is what I wore to work today.
On my way to get a burrito before work, I was detained by the police.
I noticed the police car in the public lot behind Centre Street. As I was walking away from my car, the cruiser followed me. I walked down Centre Street and was about to cross over to the burrito place and the officer got out of the car.
“Hey my man,” he said.
He unsnapped the holster of his gun.
I took my hands out of my pockets.
“Yes?” I said.
“Where you coming from?”
“Home.”
Where’s home?”
“Dedham.”
How’d you get here?”
“I drove.”
He was next to me now. Two other police cars pulled up. I was standing in from of the bank across the street from the burrito place. I was going to get lunch before I taught my 1:30 class. There were cops all around me.
I said nothing. I looked at the officer who addressed me. He was white, stocky, bearded.
“You weren’t over there, were you?” He pointed down Centre Street toward Hyde Square.
“No. I came from Dedham.”
“What’s your address?”
I told him.
“We had someone matching your description just try to break into a woman’s house.”
Inspired by the post, the Monday morning workshop group wrote on the subject of prejudice, false accusations, assumptions, and profiling.
The prompt this week was to imagine observing two people in a party or large social event having an emotional interaction, displaying physical signs of frustration, distress, anxiety, etc. It looks normal, but isn’t. Show us so we can tell what is going on.
The following prompt is by Shannon, a Writers in the Grove member, a part of our Prompt-a-Day project to support NaNoWriMo during November 2015. Each prompt was generously donated by our Writers in the Grove members. You are welcome to take this prompt in any direction you wish.
Your character is waiting outside a WalMart. Describe the people they see coming out of the store.
Place them outside a Nordstrom department store. Describe the people they see coming out of that store and compare them.
The following prompt is by Chuck, a Writers in the Grove member, a part of our Prompt-a-Day project to support NaNoWriMo during November 2015. Each prompt was generously donated by our Writers in the Grove members. You are welcome to take this prompt in any direction you wish.
Take your character to the grocery store. How do they see and experience the store?
Writers in the Grove 