Ronovan Writes SIJO Wednesday Poetry Challenge #47. Use ESCAPE as your inspiration this week.

Escape

Finally the chance to get away, restraints slack, door unlocked.
Silently, heart pounding. Crawl into the night’s cool air.
Sweet smell of earth surrounds me then pain. Blackness as life escapes me.

PART OF RONOVANWRITE’S WEEKLY SIJO CHALLENGE.

K.L.Caley’s#writephoto: Woodland.

For visually challenged writers, the image shows a shallow stony river meandering through some woodland.

Woodland – Image by KL Caley.

They had stopped on the way home and had a good meal and several Bacardi and Coke’s . Gail had been driving and Morgarna was impressed that she’d learned to do so, so quickly.
It was late when they got back to the house and as Gail was locking the car she felt a presence. “Merlin is that you” she asked into the darkness as she felt a shiver down her spine. Pressing the button on the keyfob Gail grabbed her bag and ran through the front door!
“What’s going on” asked Merlin looking up from making coffee, “you just ran through the door without opening it Gail. It’s not a good look when you’re trying to be human? “
“What? Err, well yes but there’s something out there Merlin and it touched me” Gail answered visibly shaken.
Just then an alarm went off in the large hallway.
“What’s the darn racket Merls I am trying to have a relaxing soak!”
Shouted an irritated Morgarna from upstairs..
” It’s the new entity alarm I installed while you were away…..and its obviously working.” Merlin replied.
Morgarna stood up and heard a sharp intake of breath. Quickly she grabbed a large towel and wrapped herself in it. “Okay she said you may as well reveal yourself now as I know you are here, I heard you!”
Slowly the stream in the bathroom gathered together forming the shape of a young man…a good looking young man … covering his eyes!

---

Sitting in the kitchen Gail was chatting to the lad, he had been rather taken with her.
“So what made you follow us from the cemetery in Darlington? ” Gail asked.
“I just was drawn to you well all of you especially that braison one who exposed herself to me!”
“Hang on laddy ” Morgarna said as she entered the kitchen….” You actually snook into my bathroom , I didn’t invite you in!” ….. though she thought to herself I wouldn’t kick you out of bed and smiled to herself.
Merlin walked in and in a loud voice announced ” Let’s all be kind and try some of the cake Gail made earlier and then.. what’s your name lad? “John…. sir”
“Right John what is the story?”

---

The mood in the kitchen had become much more relaxed after everyone had, had a slice of Gail’s cake. Full of Gail’s special ingredient!
“Right John what are you doing here? Asked Morgarna, ” I assume it not just to snoop on me in the bath or brush pass our Gail here? ‘
John looked Morgarna in the eye, “no mam but it was Gail and Merlin’s conversation about ghosts and time travel that made me hope , then you arrived from nowhere and I knew I had to ask for help.”
“What do you mean” asked Merlin looking curious
“Well ” replied John. “Three hundred years ago the love of my life was cruelly snatched from me.
We were so in love but Annette was the daughter of the Lord and I was just the blacksmith’s son. Fate was against us from the start, then we found out her father had promised her hand in marriage to Sir Hugo a rich and landed knight from the next county. We decided to run away and get married, we arranged to meet in the woods by the stream. When I got there I found her waiting for me. She had her back to me so I crept up to her and kissed the back of her head.” At this point John put his head in his hands and tears fell from his eyes.
Taking a deep breath he continued. ” Suddenly she slumped back into my arms, she was covered in blood. Her throat was cut , I was so shocked I couldn’t move. …. They found me in the morning sitting by the stream with my love in my arms dead. They took me away and threw me into the cells, next I knew it had been decided that I had killed her, I never had a trial, I never got to tell anyone of my innocence! I was dragged out to the centre of the village and in front of my family and the whole village I was branded with the sign of the devil and then hung.”
“Oh! No John that’s so unfair !” said Gail her eyes wide.
“I get it” said Merlin “you’d like to know what happened “
Yes Meriln I would so when I saw two sourcerers and a Ghost I knew I had to follow you and ask for help.”
Merlin got up and went through to their library and got out his old magic and history books, he also turned on his laptop!
“Morgarna and I will start now, and hopefully John we should be able to see what we can find out what happened”
“And if we can find you some closure” added Morgarna.”

---

---

Early the next morning Morgarna and John saw the Anomaly above the patio in the back garden. They both jumped together and landed by shallow stony river meandering through some woodland.

This is part of K.L. Caley’s #writephoto : Woodland.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Aug. 13, 2022

Hi Its Saturday and time for our prompt from Linda . Thus week she said : Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is starts with “u.” Find a word that starts with the letter “u” and use it however you’d like. Bonus points if it’s the first word in your post. Enjoy!

Underneath .

Underneath the path lies a secret
Layer upon layer of grief
Under the damp scented loam
As above feet do roam.
Unloved , unknown
Lost for evermore
Cold, never
To be
Found .

Underneath : Alanis Morissette.

Badge by Shelley Krupa..

How have we come to this?

© willowdot21

Yesterday, Nineteen young children and two adults died in a shooting at a primary school in south Texas.

Watch the wall.

Watch the wall my darlings as the gunman passes by,
Hush now everyone or he will double back and kill us if he hears you cry.

He doesn’t care that guns are not allowed
I know he will not stop to think before firing into a crowd.

Try not to whimper as he will hear that too
He has shot your little friends for less and he will do the same to you.

Here, cuddled up to me my darlings lets all play sleeping lions
Keep calm or become more satistics in this crime.
Yes those are your friends my darlings but we cannot help them now.
You are in my care here and to keep you safe I vow .

Who is he is my darlings I have no idea,
We need not think of him, he is of no consequence my dear.
What is important is that you stay with me here.
Silent as a mouse, no noise for him to hear.

Oh! yes. Watch the wall my darlings as the gunman passes by,
Hush now everyone, he will double back and kill us if he hears you cry.

---

I wote this poem in November 2012 after the school Massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. There have been more massacres since and not only in schools, places of worship, supermarkets, concerts. Nothing has changed nothing has been done… WHY? There have been so many of these incidents in the intervening years that now Gun Shootings in schools cause more children’s deaths than any other reason in America .

The media should not give the murders any air time they should should not be named . This only encourages the next mad man or woman to out do them. Gun laws need to be stricter and no one needs a gun in their home. Mental health needs to have more funds pumped into it so these people can be found and treated before they cause such grief.

Let us not forget the forgotten victims these shootings, all the murder’s families.

How have we come to this, Children killing Children?

OUT, OUT DAMN SPOT

Here is An old poem of mine, a play on Lady Macbeth’s speech from the Shakespearean play Macbeth. Losely Shakespearean Dialogue. With a tip of hat to Geoff at TanGental.

image from Pixabay

Out out damned spot

Have I scrubbed you or not.

My fingers raw and bleeding

I think some bleach is what we’re needing.

Out, out damned spot

What is this stain we’ve got

You have been through the machine twice

Do I have to do you thrice

Out, out damned spot

I am so stressed about your blot

I have had enough, so get thee to a bin

I care not if to waste is a sin

Out, out damned spot

My nerves are shot!

You may of had me today

But it was you who got thrown away.

#Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 228, #Poet’sChoice

WELCOME TO TANKA TUESDAY!

Happy JUNE! It’s the first of the month and you know what that means! Word Crafters, choose your own syllabic poetry form, theme, words, images, etc. It’s up to you! This opportunity only happens once a month!

I really just wanted to tell a tale. So I really am not sure if this poem is even allowed. I told it all the same.

Light and dusk

Golden light fractals through the leaves.

Dark brown, of strong Oak woven in the trees.

Motes of  dust dancing in and out,

squirrels collecting nuts, in a hurry here  about!

As she lays there among the leaves,

not missed yet, so far no one grieves.

Dearest Teddy by her side

She only dropped him when she died.

She is tiny, she is small,

Oh! dear God she has hardly lived at all.

Like an angel lying there

with tiny insects running through her hair.

Shafts of dying daylight frame her face,

of her killer there is no trace.

Silent leaves begin to fall

slowly slowly they cover all……………

This is part of Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka.

Three Things Challenge #363

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, every day Di at pensitivity101 lists three things that may, or may not, be related.
The challenge is to simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you, using one, two or all three words in your post. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use the 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and the logo if you wish. Pingback here

Your three things today are:

SLIPPER
TORCH
BRACKET

Corina sat in her office, sipping a hot strong black coffee. Turning it over in her head there were things there that were screaming for her attention but it was like she needed someone to turn on a torch.
The door opened and Tim stuck his head in and said “I have got everyone organised for 1pm Marm we should have some photos back by then so we can start a board.” Corina nodded as she stood up and removed her jacket and hung it on the bracket on the wall.
Tim went to leave but stopped and turned back “have you eaten Marm can I get you anything I’m getting a bacon roll” Corina thought for a moment, poured another cup of coffee and offered Tim one. “Yes a sausage sandwich with brown sauce, here I’ll pay, and for yours too. Coffee now or when you get back with the sandwiches.?”
On his way to the canteen Tim smiled to himself, she’s paying he thought. That’s not like her, must be feeling guilty about the lights!
As they sat eating the sandwiches and drinking Corina’s special blend of Columbian she asked “have Karen or Sasha had any luck with the old records?” Tim was just about to answer when the phone rang.
It was forensics, when the body had been moved they had found a blood stained slipper underneath it.

This is part of pensitivity101’s Three Things Challenge.

You can also read the previous part of this story here.

Three Things Challenge#362

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, every day Di at pensitivity101 lists three things that may, or may not, be related.
The challenge is to simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you, using one, two or all three words in your post. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use the 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and the logo if you wish.

Your three things today are:
REASONABLE
CHAFF
EGO

Driving back to the station Corina’s mind was working overtime trying to remember anything about the ‘Three Maids” case. Was it even reasonable to think they were connected. Something was screaming at her but…. Suddenly Tim yanked the wheel and shouted “Brake! brake” Corina in an instant saw the red light, and managed an emergency stop. “Didn’t you see the lights change ” Tim snapped then remembering himself he added “Marm”
Corina took a deep breath it hurt her ego that Tim had had grab the wheel, it hurt more that he was right.
The lights changed, Corina pulled away carefully, and decided to consentrate on the road for now. …”Sorry, Tim , I’ve not had a decent coffee yet!” she muttered. “Not for want of trying on my part” Tim grinned. They both laughed. The rest of the journey she explained to Tim what was on her mind, the case from 1998 and it’s similarities to the one in hand.
Back at the station Tim offered to get the team together so they could get organised, “Okay while your at it get Karen and Sasha to pull any information on 1998 ‘Three Maids’ case. Corina called disappearing into the loo. As the door shut behind her she thought, coffee next the I’ll see the team and we can sort the wheat from the chaff.

This is part of The Three Things Challenge

you can read the previous parts of this story here.

Three Things Challenge #358

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
For those of you unfamiliar with the challenge, every day Di at pensitivity101 lists three things that may, or may not, be related.
The challenge is to simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you, using one, two or all three words in your post. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use the 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and the logo if you wish

Your three things today are:

FEASIBLE
SENSIBLE
TRAUMA

Arriving at the scene, Corina got out the car, and pulled on the white suit, plastic over shoes and gloves.
“Okay Tim what have we got here?” she asked the exhausted young man standing on the business side of the police coreden. “Blunt trauma to the head marm, and they’ve made a real mess of her, no teeth, hands or feet.” He replied shivering.
Scech! Carina thought, this case was ringing alarm bells already. “Have forensics got a time of death yet.” She asked. An irritated voice from inside the tent retorted, “no I only just got here but looking at the state of rigamortis I’d say at least a week.”
Taking Tim’s coffee out of his his cold hands she thought to herself it was time she got herself a nice sensible job, 9 to 5….

This is part of pensitivity101 Three Things Challenge.

Thursday photo prompt spectral #writephoto

This is my entry for Sue Vincent of Daily Echo #writephoto.

Rules and Pingback Here

There it stood, in the early morning mist. Nothing but a shell, no heart or soul left. The mist concealing the true horror of what was left. Even after all these years I could hear the crackle of fire and the screams of those trapped inside.

They had built the house here in the middle of nowhere to impress on those incarcerated in there, even if they got through the locks or the bars on the windows that there was no where to go.

I had been there ten years before James arrived . He was so beautiful, in soul and body. He was a nurse on my wing and I soon fell in love with him. He, to his credit, did take over a year to fall for me. Yet fall for me he did and we planned to leave the house and be together forever.

We bided our time, this was good because we needed to lay our plans well.

Finally the night we had decided upon to leave arrived. James finished his shift at 11pm and he came to my room where I was packed and waiting.

James had everything planned to a tee. We were to leave as the staff handover was taking place, he had already made his excuses to get away without attending the meeting.

All went well and he hid me under a blanket in the back of his car. We were three quarters of a mile away from the hospital when he spotted the fire. I begged him not to stop I begged him to drive on but he told me to stay hidden in the car and he left me.

He ran back to the hospital and I followed him. I never saw him again, he died along with everyone else that night. No one survived, no one escaped. It took the fire brigade an hour to arrive by that time the screams had stopped and only one wing of the building was left ruined but standing.

I come back here every year on this day, the day the fire happened. I only wish the fire had not spread so fast, that the fire had not killed the electricity that locked the building down…that they all had died.

As 11.15pm arrives I see them coming out of the ruins they all walk hand in hand past me. I reach out to touch James, as I do every year, but he doesn’t look at me. Over his shoulder he calls, “I forgive you.”

I know I set the fire too well.