Today I was inspired to try a shadow effect inspired by images I’ve seen on Pinterest. Pareidolia combined with tricks of light and shadow made for some interesting house guests.
November PAD Chapbook Challenge
The prompt is to write a party poem.
At the Party
It hides
behind the fancy ribbons
the glitter, the streamers
it hides in plain sight
behind white-toothed
red-lipstick smiles
is obscured by
laughter and music
but then a sudden light–
headlights through the window
sweeping the far wall,
someone leaves the bathroom
or enters from the hall–
and the shadows shift
and I see it so clearly
and then it’s gone
covered again in laughter
and the next song’s major chords
It hides
under every plastic cup
and every paper plate
under every chair
used to fasten a balloon
I can taste it
in every bite of cake
there it is
in the flicker of candles
I smell it coming
in the smoke
when extinguished
It lingers longer this year
as it lurks in the shadows
and leaves a clingy film
after the guests have gone
My party poem combined with “hide” made for a conceit that fits Björn’s Meet the Bar prompt at dVerse.
NaNoWriMo
My days are flying by. Every day I think I’ll get more done than I do, but I’m enjoying putting extra time into this initial set-up with the intent to have everything come up again later. I started hopping around a little bit yesterday, and that helped me get motivated to go back and continue the scene from the day before.
How’s your writing going? How do you get and stay motivated?
Experience Writing 
“It hides under every plastic cup and every paper plate under every chair used to fasten a balloon/I can taste it in every bite of cake,”.. this is so hard-hitting and poignant! I felt every word 💝💝
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Thank you.
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Excellent photos and your words played well with the images.
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Thank you.
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Enjoyed your use of metaphors …. a nice write!
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Thank you.
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‘but then a sudden light–
headlights through the window
sweeping the far wall,
someone leaves the bathroom
or enters from the hall–
and the shadows shift’
I love how something as simple as a ribbon can be transformed by a sudden burst of light!
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Thank you. I’m glad I finally tried those photos. So much to play with.
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Amid all the laughter, smiles and songs there is loneliness hiding under the cups and frills and lace. Well done. It works very well.
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Thank you.
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You are welcome.
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I thought what hides were something really nice,…with all those symbols of friendship until that last stanza where it lurks and leaves a clingy film.. which made me think more of jealousy or something like that
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