Alastairs Photo Fiction – Simple is and simple does!

October 13, 2013February 17, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 36 Comments

Each Sunday my good friend Alastair offers up one of his excellent photographs as a prompt for writing a short fictional piece. Be sure to check out this fun activity, click here for more information.

Simple is as Simple does.

“I just want to leave, daddy!” the little girl said. “I’m not having any fun!”

“But honey, you’ve hardly ridden any of the rides.” The dad was concerned to see the unhappy look on his daughter’s face. He had been so sure, when he picked her up at her mother’s house for his “weekend time”, that she’d love to go to the carnival. Didn’t kids like these things any more?

“I don’t care. I just want to leave and go some other place. It’s noisy and all the rides are scary with people screaming. They’re rude and they keep bumping into us on the ground.” His daughter’s small hand held tightly onto his while tugging him in the direction of the exit.

“Well, wait a minute,” Her dad tried again. “Let’s go by the food stands, they have yummy treats to eat there. That’s always fun at carnivals.” He patted his substantial stomach while deciding there was always room for one more corn dog!

“No daddy, my tummy still hurts from the last ride and we can buy treats everywhere. I just want to go.”

The dad looked and felt very frustrated as they slowly maneuvered their way through the noisy throng of indifferent people who, now that he noticed it, all seemed to be running around in hyper mode; looking for the next great thrilling ride, or fat engorged snack or cheap plastic prize to be awarded for winning a “fixed” game.

When they reached the exit the dad turned to his daughter and impatiently asked “So where do you want to go?”

The little girl answered quietly. “Could we go to the park, just the two of us, walk around, feed the squirrels and maybe you could push me on the swing. Doesn’t that sound like fun, Daddy?”

*******

Is there a loss of pleasure in “simple things” today? Are we perhaps so inundated with the never ending media of thriller type videos, movies, TV shows, books and of course real life activities, it has become difficult to go to a simple and happier place!

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Torturous Love!

October 7, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 16 Comments

One of the two word prompts for this week’s Ligo Haibun (writing) Challenge is – torture! I don’t believe anyone can think about that word without coming up with sad, painful and scary feelings. I chose the broken heart from a shattered love relationship.

My offering:

I Suppose

Lying midst scattered remnants of reality, I do not care to move, curled up in a fetal position, hugging knees tightly to my chest. The position, an instinctive leftover memory of safeness, I suppose. Am I fragile? I suppose so. Does a butterfly have wings that can be pulled off? Yes, I suppose this is true also.

The pain is overwhelming, you know. I don’t suppose you care. But if you did … if you did, the sweet sorrow from the tortuous pain you left me in, would be your undoing … or maybe not, I suppose.

my tortured soul

from rapture to exquisite pain

lies comotose

〜*〜

Do remember, this is a work of fiction everyone, I couldn’t be further from that state of existence if I tried. My days right now are full up with tennis (giving lessons), writing and drawing, enjoying family (baking) and the Autumn of things, and, of course, being online creating and inspiring others, along with you! ♥

Be sure to check out the other wonderfully written Ligo Haibun Challenge entries written by a talented group of international “word artisans”!

~ Penny

The Why about number one!

April 23, 2013April 23, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 17 Comments

The ‘one‘ number in our counting system we write about in a most creatively inventive style when it comes to who and how we feel about things!

Understandingly enough, the number “1” is the symbol we frequently use to express our state of emotions. We refer to “the one and only” or a “singular individual”, or “you are number one in my book” These meanings when personalized can become ripe with the raw emoting from our very inventive imaginations.

We view ourselves as singular. I am one person and you are one person. But we do tend to wrap our emotions around a theme of “oneness” in a very inward and selfish way too frequently. (we all do – without exception here.)

The word one, when it has to do with humanity is important. In my future world “one” will unify, encompass everyone, no exclusions. Time will then be better spent on solving the problems of one people, one planet and so on.

One can also refer to an individual feeling alone. Apart from the rest – lonely. A very sad place to be. And yet each of us have occasions where we live in the land of the lonely. Hopefully for only a short duration. Life is rich with the potential for each ‘one’ person to love many others and more importantly, themselves.

Hard not to go to an emotional place with that song, about the number one. In summation, numbers are a science to be utilized best by mathematicians, but mathematicians are people too, so I’m thinking emotions will always reign supreme in the whole scheme of things.

Make the number one, a wonderful one today – you and all those around you. Make one – count for something!

~ Penny

Smiling vs. Frowning

March 14, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 31 Comments

~ A brief study of contrasts by P.L. Howe

Ah, The Nefarious Frown, worshiped and overused by the bad guys (and bad actors), utilized frequently by government officials to make a “serious” point and always getting a bad rap. (btw – did you know that the term “a bad rap”, historically speaking, evolved from the original meaning of the word “rap”, which first popped up around the 14th century meaning “strike or blow”?

Who knew a frown could be so disturbing.

“It takes 42 muscles to frown, and only 4 muscles to reach out and smack you!”

Seriously, although those often times elusive “experts” can’t seem to agree on the actual count of muscles being used for a smile or a frown, it does seem that smiling usually comes up using fewer muscles.

Some additional studies have shown that people are more apt to smile when they see other people smiling and frown when they see other people frowning. Not good news given the “happenings” around the world today.

In the final analysis, according to extremely reliable experts (children) it only takes a nano-second to do either one (smile or frown) but the room is a much”funner” place when everyone is smiling at them.

My favorite smile ever!

So a thumbs up from me on the “Smile” of things.

Have an excellent day, and smile your way to tomorrow (well not constantly of course, they may come to take you away ha, ha, ho, ho, hee, hee … to the funny farm where life is beautiful and …) on second thought keep smiling!

~Penny