photograph by Maria L. Berg 2017

#OctPoWriMo

Today’s OctPoWriMo theme is Hugging a tree. I took the picture above in an old military cemetery outside of Orting, WA. The giant fir has grown completely around the headstone in an eternal hug.

To get the full experience, I went out in the yard and hugged a couple trees. The first was a large fir. The second, a deciduous, I wasn’t sure of, so I did a search. I found a great tool on the Arbor Day Foundation website for Tree Identification. I think I’ll be playing with that a lot!

Here’s my attempt at a Rondeau:

Fresh, Calming Air

I breathe deeply, searching for the smell
of the large fir, bark sharp like broken shells
which seems to part to fit my cheek and core
but I sense not scent only cool air galore
I decide to hold on for a spell

Another tree in this yard does dwell
A canyon maple I now can tell
Bent limbs like arms of one I adore
I breathe deeply

I do not mean to undersell
for fresh, calming air no parallel
but I worry that I will want more
And there are things I must do indoors
What happens next I cannot foretell
I breathe deeply

#Writober4

The image for Day 13 on the Pinterest board shows a young man and woman standing in fitting coffins on either side of an empty child-size coffin. They wear bright colors, red and white but are shrouded in fog.

My take: Either some death obsessed young adults are planning to have a child, which is an odd contradiction and conflict, or this poor couple has recently lost a child and while planning  the child’s funeral, they made a murder suicide pact and organized their funerals while they were at it.

Micro-fiction: Harlan and Sarah’s neighbor made coffins that had always had an odd, morbid appeal. When they arrived to pick up their son’s coffin and saw the coffins on either side would fit them each perfectly, they silently agreed to take all three. Now, they only had to discuss how and who would be the suicide.

Writing Process and Tools

Plot and form: Yesterday, while reading more about flash fiction, I came across some form articles by Kathy Fish. This one is about Segmented Story Structure.

Today’s emotion: Depression { not you, the story 😉 }

Creepy verbs: agitate, concern, worry,  alienate, estrange

Story Cubes Symbols: house, scarab, airplane, magic wand, pyramid, question mark, volcano, drama masks, alien

Woodland creature: mouse

Horror trope: premonitions

Oblique Strategies: Be extravagant

Happy Reading and Writing!