Your word prompt this week is
MONEY
It’s said ‘money is the root of all evil’ but it’s something we all need to survive. I remember thinking about it in a good way when I was a young girl. I loved saving up my pocket money and buying something special. I also had a toy till and money and would spend hours playing shops. If only life was that simple now, eh?
What are your thoughts on the prompt this week?
Fact or fiction, prose or poetry, I would love to read your thoughts on this week’s prompt, but there’s no obligation to share your writing. Here is the work you shared on the last prompt SHADE.
Under the shade
Cool whispers linger,
Breezes hush the daylight,
Leaves weave stories through softened gold—
Stillness.
We wouldn’t be here
were there not more
than shades for eyes
than earth or skies.
Behold the opened door.
I pulled opened the window shade
To look at what I had made
The sun was so hot
It melted the pot
Of choco-lot made of suede
The Shade Whisperer
He craves shade everywhere we go.
He whimpers in the sunlight and heat.
I shrug and relish the sun on my face,
While he remains on the other side of the street.
By the grace of God, he finds the coolness,
And works to retain as much as he can.
And as the day passes to its final close,
The lack of sunlight makes him a happy man.
sun shade and rain
and yet we sing the song again!
I love my hair
To have different shades of light
Streaked through my mousy brown
Thinness is my plight
Our motorhome has an awning
To throw some shade over us
In the bright afternoons
We enjoy our respite
My brother cut down the only
Tree in the backyard
That provided shade over the pool
Now it will stay warm longer
I don’t believe in shady practices
My motto is honesty
We keep to ourselves
Staying peaceful and sane.
in the shade
possibilities
impatient
waiting for sunlight
still in the moment
Vitiligo*
Mighty sol’s ubiquitous in regions that are tropical,
but when it comes to sunlight, I have news that is more topical.
I’m evidence empirical that all folks aren’t created
to lie out in the sun’s rays until their lust is sated
for skin transposed to honey brown from a whitish hue.
For folks like me, such practices simply will not do.
Unlike my lucky college chums, my best friends and my sister,
when I’m exposed to sunlight, I am more prone to blister.
I see them put their swimsuits on and take turns rubbing oil on,
anxious to go greet the sun to get their bake and boil on,
but once they’re spread out on their towels with all adjustments made,
I’ll be covered up instead, sitting in the shade.
*Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color. People with vitiligo have no natural protection from the sun.
“Quit throwing shade on everything I do.”
“That is what I do.”
“How can you live with that?”
“For a tree it’s pretty easy.”
Grandma’s Shade:
A Triolet
Find your clarity in my shade
Our lives are branches of one tree
Let your own light shine unafraid
Find your clarity in my shade
To watch you grow an even trade
For joy and pride that’s shed from me
Find your clarity in my shade
Our lives are branches of one tree
Aging ‘Hippy’?
Mae looked at the glass and saw it half full. Always a positive thinker.
Even when looking at the world leaders who tripped up their speeches…
Twisting truths and promising the impossible.
Mae was in a retirement home now. Well cared for.
By saving her rainy day pennies.
She didn’t have to worry all that much.
Mae had hoped for more family to visit… even though they didn’t
The elder lady just took deep breaths and enjoyed those her own age.
But always the first thing she did on waking…
Mae found her rose colored specks…
The slight brighter-ness made her smile –
And her smile was contagious.
Mae liked it when her caregivers smiled back.
They seemed to bring more comfort and respect
To those folks who were bright and cheery.
‘shades’
rose colored specs
brighten gloom
Don’t be afraid,
Come out of the shade
Into the sun
And then we’ll have fun.
The water’s so cool
But we’re nobody’s fool
With sunscreen on skin
We’ll charge right on in.
A day by the sea
So full of glee
Ice cream and candy,
Fluffy towels kept handy:
Cover your eyes,
I’ll reveal a surprise
Give it a lick
As it’s melting real quick:
In the shade of a brolly
We suck on ice lollies!
The Shades of Love in the City
The light coming through her window below the half-raised shade slipped across her room like a secret, soft and deliberate. It crawled up the brass bedframe, over her legs, up her dress, with the faint shimmer of perspiration caught in the street lamp’s glow.
Outside, the night was hot and thick, velvet-black and breathing. The city pulsed, but here in her bedroom, everything was quiet except for the whisper of fabric against her sweaty skin.
She knew he was there. She always did. That was the game. Light and shade, wanting and pretending not to. She liked that he was watching her. She enjoyed feeling his desired-filled eyes fixated on her, as she moved slowly, deliberately, every motion like punctuation in an unspoken sentence.
He stood there, framed by the window, half-hidden by the drawn curtain, his shadow just another shape among many. His hand lingered near the window frame, uncertain whether to draw closer or retreat. Shade and distance were all that separated them, and maybe that was mercy.
A car passed, throwing a flash of white across her face, then gone again, leaving her half-lit and dangerous, a secret carved in pink silk.
He stepped back, swallowed by the night. The curtain fell into place. She smiled faintly at the darkened window. She knew that he’d be back to watch and play her game again.
In this city, love was never in color. It always came in shades.
Rall:
Shadorma
light and shade
the contrasts in life
not always
too welcome
more light moments than shade moments
are so essential
“Knock on her door; I dare you to.”
“The witch’s house? No fear!
No point asking her, ‘trick or treat?’
She gave no treats last year.”
The window shade is drawn, but stirs
as eggs fly, and boys jeer.
She sits beside that window blind,
not going out at all.
She sits and watches time go by
between her carers’ calls.
Nights she can’t sleep, they’ll find her
next day, dozing in her shawl.
She sees the neighbour’s wife picked up
after her man goes out.
She’s dropped off just before he’s home,
at five or thereabout.
Late at night, another neighbour
black-clad sneaks about.
A car pulls up. He jumps in,
they zoom off, rolling and pitching.
On his return, he looks around
to make sure no-one’s watching.
He doesn’t see the window blind next door
that’s gently twitching.
Next day, police come to question him
about a local break-in.
The married pair are arguing.
Her explanation’s shady.
At school, the head takes boys to task
for bullying old ladies.
The shades of autumn speak
in a a language that needs no words–
like sky reflected in water
Like trees reflected in glass,
like leaves floating on time–
the shades of autumn speak.
Leaves whisper on the wind–
light echoes inside form
in a language that needs no words.
As seasons seek connection
the boundaries intersect–
like sky reflected in water.
Amazing Grace
Still you find me
Still you seek me
Still you sense my every need
Still you soothe me, lost and afraid
Still you shelter me beneath your shade
Though I constantly try to run away
Though I consistently forget the words you say
Though I should have exhausted all of my changes
Though I am only a victim of my own circumstances
Your grace reaches down and sets me free
Your love gently reminds me of who You made me to be
Your sacrifice was made to save my soul
Your brokenness has made me whole.
Let me hold a dollar
Unlike Warren Buffet or any other person who has more money than they will ever be able to use I couldn’t justify feeding a foundation already endowed with more money. Nor could I see giving twenty dollars a month to any foundations offering to give you a tee shirt for “Free”. These all seem like scams to me.
I’m guessing that the only way for this to happen would to be hitting a lottery. Would I pack my cars trunk with greenbacks and cruise around announcing in a stentorian voice that handouts were freely given away or would I quickly find a place to hide in the shade?
Probably neither one of those. After securing a comfortable living for myself , family and friends I think I would try and help the more unfortunate souls trying to make ends meet, the ones who don’t waste my time with a phone call trying to convince me to give them my money while driving a Telsa or wearing a ring that cost more than most people make in a year.
I’m talking about the souls who really scrap and scratch their way through daily life trying to earn a living while being kept down by our loving governments. I believe that by doing this I could proudly wag my tail and sit in the dawghouse feeling quite content.
Halloween Surprise
Our bags filled with ruby red apples from the orchard just a couple of miles down the road, we drove up the 8% grade to our home in the country just around the bend from Lake Michigan. The dogs were anxious to get back to patrolling their backyard after the long walk through the groves of apple trees.
The patio gate slid open for the dogs to barrel their way past the Tiki Bar and into their domain. The DooBeeDo was on patrol scouring the area for any wayward chipmunks or any other animated creature that had left the secure shade of the mighty Oak tree with Rocko following her lead.
While The DooBeeDo was hunting in the usual area under the concrete block wall, I noticed a calico tail sneaking into the enclosed back porch. I had left the door open this morning after gathering pumpkins from the garden. My legs quickly and silently moved to close the back porch door before the little chipmunk killer figured out what was going on.
After the guard dogs made sure the area was clear and I was in no danger of chipmunk attack, they returned to the security of their warm and comfy couch giving me the opportunity to check out the calico tail on the back porch.
“Kitty Kitty”. Up from the dark stairs of the dungeon emerged the sweetest little kitten who jumped into my arms and purred her way right into my heart, an act of treason as judged by The DooBeeDo.
A Total Solar Eclipse the Ultimate Moon Shade
On April 8, 2024, a narrow sliver of the United States, including Dallas, where we live, experienced a total solar eclipse whilst most of the United States experienced a partial solar eclipse. We also had a three hour long partial solar eclipse and the total solar eclipse lasted four minutes. To explain, first there was a one and a half hour partial solar eclipse, then the total solar eclipse lasting four minutes, and then a one and a half hour long partial solar eclipse again. A partial solar eclipse is interesting, but a total solar eclipse is something else entirely. A total solar eclipse is the ultimate moon shade and an unforgettable lifetime experience.
We were all sitting outside in our backyard having a little party, drinking beer and eating snacks, as the partial solar eclipse began. During the partial solar eclipse, it was still daylight, and you could not look at the sun unless you had ISO certified solar eclipse glasses, which we did. When you put on the solar eclipse glasses you could see that the sun looked like a crescent. This was not possible to see without the solar eclipse glasses, and you certainly should not look at the sun during a partial solar eclipse.
Suddenly, it got dark, not entirely dark, but more like as if it was well into twilight. The sun turned into a black circle surrounded by a faint wispy light. That was the sun’s corona, which normally is invisible due to the sun’s powerful light. The sun’s transformation only took a few seconds. The darkness fell extremely fast as if someone turned off the lights. Now you could look straight at the sun without the ISO certified solar eclipse glasses. Looking straight at the sun during a total eclipse is perfectly safe since all you see is a black circle in the sky. What you see is the black moon. The sun is hidden behind the moon. However, you need to be ready to put on your glasses, or turn your head, when it is time for the sun to come back.
As the sun suddenly vanished, the birds and the insects became quiet. The stars came out. Venus appeared above our heads, not far from the sun. It shone brightly in a location where you normally never see Venus. Venus typically appears above the western horizon after sunset (the evening star) or above the eastern horizon before sunrise (the morning star), not right above you. It was quiet, dark, the sky was beautiful and filled with stars, and there was a black circle in the sky surrounded by the magical faintly shining corona.
I knew what was coming next as the four minutes came to a close, so I put my ISO certified solar eclipse glasses back on. At first, I saw nothing. Then I saw something that looked like a big star that was quickly expanding like a super nova and turning into a thin bright thin crescent. The lights came on, the stars and Venus disappeared, the birds and insects began making noise again. Daylight and the whole world returned in just a few seconds. Now we had another one and a half hour of a partial solar eclipse to enjoy (using our solar eclipse glasses).
To read more, click here
Oblivion
why are we so shaded,
forgetting so easily,
what was done—
the cruelty,
the injustice,
the lives shattered,
the stories silenced.
now it seems,
all is erased,
as if it never was,
just lost in the dark
like whispers in the wind.
After the scandalous flood control anomaly was exposed by the President himself, investigations erupted like wildfire. Outrage spread, rallies surged, and the Senate rallied behind the call for truth. But as the spotlight turned toward those involved, the narrative began to shift. Now, it seems, the scandal is fading from memory, quietly slipping into the shadows it once cast.
Golden Shade
Her
pathways
take her steps
away from noise,
into the silence
of the soft susurrus
in the wind’s mild whispering.
Komorebi on the sidewalk
lightening her long autumn alleys,
filtering her thoughts clean all through the leaves.
The darkness through the labyrinthine days
slowly dissolves, as the sibylline rustle
utters its sacred predictions
emerging through dark branches
like time’s rhythm and rhyme.
Long elixir sighs,
comforting shine
in my heart’s
golden
shade.
ah, once a dream did weave a shade
where I invade
a corridor
went for a tour
a dream I cannot understand
questions in hand
yet no answer
a new chapter
going through the arc of unknown
where I was thrown
for no reason
such a burden
Throwing Shade
Having grown weary of watching the powers-that-be throw propagandized shade on the city of my heart- my Portland- men who’d made us a talking point but had never savored a Stumptown coffee, never wandered the Pine Street Market, or drifted down SW 4th and Hall where you can’t walk two blocks without stumbling onto a food cart worth writing home about.
Men who would slander my city- where bridges wear the dewy mist like gemstones, and stepping into Powell’s feels like entering a cathedral.
Men who painted these same streets as a warzone, twisting my fair city into a cautionary tale for cable news.
Every night I watched, feeling helpless, agonizing over how to bring the joyful heart of my home town into the media’s favorable eye again- how to remind them of our laughter, our stubborn kindness, our drum circles in the rain- when it happened.
Between a pharmaceutical ad and an ICE recruitment scam, a Spirit Halloween commercial flickered across the screen I hadn’t even realized I was watching. A lime-green inflatable dragon swayed on the TV, absurd and ridiculous, puffed with air, wobbling as though daring the world to take it seriously.
And I swear- it felt like a calling.
A few hours later, I donned the inflatable lime green dragon suit, its crooked tail and impossibly wide grin wobbling with every exaggerated step I took, as I marched into the street, into the cameras’ gaze.
Because sometimes the only way to make them see- is to make it impossible for them to look away.
The Club House
When my sister, Hayley, was a newborn baby, we lived in a house in a new area called Jukskei Park in Johannesburg. Our house was the second to be built on our street and was surrounded by vacant plots of land waiting to be sold. One of these plots had been used as a dumping ground for the builders and there was a huge mountain of sand, rubble, and other rubbish in the middle. By the time we moved into this house, the rubble mountain was already sprouting little bushes and even some wildflowers. It looked quite pretty, and it was an attractive place for two little girls to play while their mother was fully absorbed by a difficult colicky baby.
I decided that we should have a clubhouse on the top of the mound where we could shelter during the hottest part of the day. My idea was that it would be a shady little room for us to sit in and play dolls. The clubhouse was constructed from broken bricks which I laid one on top of the other in the manner of a real builder. Dad had shown me how to make a strong structure with bricks by laying the second row over the joins in the first row. Of course, we didn’t have any cement, but the structure did hold together. I found a sheet of corrugated iron for the roof. It didn’t turn out to be the shady sanctuary of my imagination as it was extremely hot and stuffy inside, but we still do go into it during the mornings and late afternoons when the temperatures had dropped a bit. The house brought us a lot of pleasure and we had broken pieces of cups and plates and other bits and pieces of crockery we’d scavenged from the mound.
One day, I had the bright idea that we should slide down the mound on pieces of cardboard. This was fabulous fun until I cut my leg badly on an exposed piece of glass. I had to have the wound cleaned and dressed and Mom found out about the clubhouse on the rubbish mound. Naturally, we were banned from any further games involving climbing the rubbish mount which stopped this game in its tracks. It was a lovely few months while we had access to it.
Mom busy with baby
older children seek out fun
climbing rubbish mound
paradise of broken junk
repurposed for home decor
Sun or shade? Umbrella up or down?
Just back from Majorca with family , and whilst my cousin was happy to lap up every bit of sun she could, I was quite content, and plenty warm enough relaxing in the shade.
As much as I love the sun, I don’t like too much of it!
I can never understand people who spend their entire holiday abroad by the pool; missing all that the country they’re in has to offer, and as for getting up at 6am for sunbed wars, why on earth would I want to do that!
Plus I never have to worry about getting sunburn, heatstroke, or wrinkly skin, and, on a serious note, skin cancer.
I remember many years ago in Spain, my husband and I were at a water park, and had positioned ourselves under a tree for the shade. As the sun moved across the sky, we were moving round the tree with it!
So sun or shade? Shade for me every time…
***
Esther Chilton 
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