The Subway
Inaudible as the message was,
that information was being shared
served as a comfort and we waited
for the clarification coming,
but the seconds turned to long minutes
becoming in us a helplessness
that drove us to a point of madness
and of one accord, we became Death.
All but the conductor was rescued.
SHHHH.....
When i was young the grass was green
The sky was blue,
Girls liked pink, Boys liked blue
Boys were gross untill aged twelve,
But then maybe they still smelled.
We all stayed out 'till the sun went down and Jack fell down and broke his crown.
We all got whoopins and went to bed,
Woke up next mornin foggy in the head.
Folks yellin at each other throwin
Dishes breakin things
We hid under tables, ran out to the swings.
Didnt have airconditioning,
Hot summers there.
Heat made tempers worse i swear!
Playin pattycake runnin through the mill
If Jack cant catch me nothin will!
Screen door slammin runnin through the house
Dont let her catch me be quiet as a mouse!
Shhhh...
Tennessee & Virginia
She was Tennessee and Virginia
You could see it in her smile.
Drifting in and out of here and there. A mushroom haze of mental health. One trip away from skippin’ out…on life and love and music. But, this hotel room smells like weed and sex and we’re both too lost to understand. We missed that this is as good as it gets. Stupid in love and high and hopeful and too old to believe in fairy tales.
I lean myself back, against the cool, calmness of the tiled kitchen floor and I settle there. In some war with myself and my mind. I look at her from time to time. These hazel eyes that control me, they roll back slightly. In some psychedelic lull from here to there.
I’d snuck in a shot or 7 by noon and we were both pretending we hadn’t noticed.
And I’m calm cool and collected, as long we don’t leave this tiled kitchen floor.
I’m sky captained out. With no ground control in sight. But, she’s smiling and she’s looking at me like I’m her savior. (I don’t even know how to save myself, y’all)
The Rainbow of Terror: The Rebootquel
October, the month of screams, spooks, and scares, is upon us. You know what that means. In case you are new and are unsure allow me to explain: it also means a whole month of theme challenges created by yours truly. Yes, this is the sixth annual series of theme challenges I like to call the Rainbow of Terror. Some of you are probably wondering why I call this the Rainbow of Terror. Whenever I create these challenges I attach them to a portal (horror, poetry, fantasy, etc.), and these portals have a different color to them. Blue for poetry, purple for fiction, pink for LGBT, and the like. Thus this makes a rainbow. And since the main theme of each challenge is about Halloween and horror (which is my favorite genre), it has become a Rainbow of Terror.
Unfortunately, due to an error of Prose's side I cannot seem to load more portals when I try to create a challenge, so my portal choices are sort of limit. So sadly there won't be any challenges for portals such as Paranormal, Gaming, History, Six Word Story, and the like. Which is a shame since my Guess Boo challenges seem to be extremely popular each year. I've tried informing Prose and IT about this months ago but nothing has been done about it. However, I won't let a technical error stop my creativeness. There are 11 terrifying challenges that I believe you might enjoy, as well as send shivers up your spines.
I understand that horror isn't everybody's cup of tea. Hell, some of you probably don't even like Halloween for personal reasons. But the purpose of these challenges isn't so much to celebrate Halloween (although they kinda are). It is to inspire creativity. So you don't need to be a fan of horror or Halloween to participate in these challenges. You just need to have imagination. And you just need to give it a shot. I especially extend a hand out to all newcomers on Prose in participating in each of these challenges. This is a good way to get others to recognize your writing talents and to become part of this extraordinary community.
All challenges will end on October 28. Enter one, enter two, or enter in all of these fantastic and ghoulish horror/Halloween theme challenges. If you have any questions about these challenges or what I may be looking for in these challenges, please feel free to send a message and ask me any time. And, of course, don't forget to tag me.
Good luck, write on, and scare away. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
HORROR
Title: The Greatest Horror Story Ever Told
Description: Give me the best horror story you can come up with. No word count or length restrictions for this. The one that scares me the most wins and gets a prize!
Word Count: Unlimited
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13452
FICTION
Title: Horror Prompt
Description: Try to come up with a prompt or a synopsis for a horror story you wish to tell. This can be for a future novel, a movie, a show, a video game, a one shot or campaign for a table-top role-playing game, etc. Two to four paragraphs, if you please.
Word Count: 15-250
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13451
POETRY
Title: Poems of the Fall
Description: This is for those that aren't a fan of the horror genre. Halloween is set in fall, probably my favorite time of the year. So instead of writing a spooky poem, see if you can write a poem about fall. Write about what you love about this time of year.
Word Count: 25-250
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13450
FANTASY
Title: Fairy Tale Terrors
Description: Rewrite a popular fairy tale but make it much more darker and twisted than the original.
Word Count: 15-1500
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13449
SCIENCE FICTION
Title: The Science of Madness
Description: Write about a mad scientist whose latest experiment either goes horribly right or horribly wrong (depending on how the scientist sees it).
Word Count: 15-1500
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13448
LGBT
Title: A True Rainbow of Terror
Description: Write a horror story/poem with LGBT themes.
Word Count: 15-1500
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13447
ROMANCE
Title: Tear My Heart Out
Description: Instead of a traditional horror, write about someone falling in love with a monster and/or vice versa. The monster in question is your choice. A vampire, a werewolf, Frankenstein's monster, a grotesque alien, a serial killer, whatever you can come up with. Tell me if it ends happily or horribly. You are free to write in any style you so choose. If you want to turn it into erotica that's you're choice. Just make sure to add a content warning.
Word Count: 50-5000
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13446
NONFICTION
Title: True Terror
Description: What's a ghost story or urban legend you may have heard about growing up in your community?
Word Count: 15-1000
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13445
HAIKU
Title: Haiku-ween
Description: See if you can write a haiku or two about Halloween.
Word Count: 15-25
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13444
REVIEW
Title: Do you like scary movies?
Description: Are you a fan of scary movies? If yes, what's your favorite scary movie and why? Got more than one favorite scary movie, make a list. If you don't like scary movies, what genre do you prefer then?
Word Count: 15-150
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13443
JOURNAL
Title: The Last Entry of the Last Person on Earth
Description: Imagine yourself as the last person on Earth (or so you believe). Humanity has been devastated by a cataclysmic event, such as a deadly plague, an alien invasion, the rise of a new dominate species, whatever you can think of. What would your last journal entry be?
Word Count: 100-1000
Link: www.theprose.com/challenge/13442
#themechallenges #halloween #horror #fun #writing #happyhalloween #RainbowofTerror
Prose Challenge of the Week #64
Hello, Prosers,
We hope this challenge announcement finds you well and writing!
It’s week sixty-four of the Prose Challenge of the Week.
For the last week, you have been writing a twisted tale, and man, did you deliver. Before we check out who the deserving winner and recipient of $100 is, let’s take a look at this week’s prompt:
CotW #64: Write about the most hilarious thing you have ever witnessed. The most eloquent, elegant, entertaining entry, ascertained by Prose, earns $100 and stays atop the Spotlight shelf for six straight days. Feel free to invite friends, distant family, even strange acquaintances to play this challenge with you anonymously. Please use #ProseChallenge #itslit for sharing online.
Now, back to the winner of week sixty-three.
We have read all of your entries, and have come to a decision. The winner of the Twisted Tale challenge is @jwelker76 with their piece, Until Morning.
Congratulations! You have just won $100. We’ll be in touch with you shortly.
In the meantime, you have one week to get your write on!
Until next time, Prosers,
Prose.
Facial
My face is my canvas you see
Because of things that happened
to me.
Modern makeup my pallet be
to cover the scars that were left by he.
The freckles I don't mind, school boys
don't tease me about them anymore
but the dark circles under my eyes
and my broken nose I can at least paint
them prettier to even the score.
A Painted Smile
Tears behind a painted smile.
Never again will you see me cry;
look in my eyes and they will be dry.
My feelings I bury down deep in my brain.
The emptiness there, I’ve no way to explain.
My laughter to my own ears sounds quite insane,
I love you, I guess that will always remain.
Letting you go, watching as you fly,
swallowing my pain, I wave goodbye,
tears behind a painted smile.
(c) 2017 - dustygrein
** Note: This form is known as a SYMETRELLE, and is less than 20 years old. Its rigid syllable counts (7/9/9/11/11/11/11/9/9/7), its rhyme scheme (A,b,b,c,c,c,c,b,b,A) and the refrain line, which bookends the poem as the first and last line, make it a lot of fun to craft -- even when the subject matter is painful.
