The man sleeping

upon the bus stop bench

blocking your view

of this month’s

burger ad,

paid for by the fast-food joint

around the corner,

is hungry,

and his name is Bert Huggins,

if you cared to know.

Hello, Writers and Dear Readers.

Hope your week has started off metal as possible, or classical as possible, or new wave as possible, or... Look, I couldn't think of a way to start off this post to introduce a 41-second poem on the channel. But we thought it would be cool to change it up once in awhile. Plus, I got this badass new webcam I wanted to test drive. Anyway, here's the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYvN5aQGHWw

And.

As always.

Thank you for being here.

-The Prose. team

then the grass

firm beneath my feet

seems to become unsteady

he's sure to look for me

every man i see

looks a little bit like him

but i promise i wont die

im not going out like this

but then again im tired

and woth him i'd have a place to stay

but i have to stay strong

and focus on getting away

because though i'd have a bed

i'd have a hard time sleeping

scared of the knife

and he's scared of the secrets i'd be keeping

so off i go into

the woods paranoid and naked

and hopefully find a town

and find a police station

but if i dont

cuz i know i wont

i can say that i tried

if it kills me

i tried

I’m sorry I can’t help you.

All the words of wisdom have been written.

No one wants to hear them anymore.

Chaos has been unleashed and

stupidity are the rule now.

Ignorance and blindness are the leaders

of what once was a great nation.

Humanity is too busy to care about the elderly and innocent of the world.

Where have all the great ones who loved their people enough gone?

To Hell that’s where.

Believers its over. Hell is here and no one lifts a finger to fight against it.

Your children are slaves to the Beast because you allowed it.

No one stands up for what’s right anymore, they all back up and say everything is ok. As long as no one is offended then it’s ok.

I can’t be a straight white older woman with disabilities and disagree with today’s agenda because that may offend some one else. Well what if I’m offended by the nonsense that’s being allowed to go on?

I have Black and Native American heritage but look at me and I am white skinned and redhead because I’m also Scottish.

I raised 4 sons and two of them are gay. I didn’t raise them to be anything other than kind and simple human being. I love them all.

Im finished here. I’m no longer needed or wanted.

The Darkness has Won!

Lately, I forgot I cared

That I wasn't loved by you

And then saw you smile

And it took me back to the days we used to laugh

Our energy together allowing us to run for miles

And I wonder what about me didn't make the cut

What about me didn't appeal to your senses

What about me wasn't enough for you

Lately, I remembered what it was like

To want to be wanted by you

And then I saw

The array of nothingness in your eyes

Something I’ve never noticed

And I wonder how long they’ve been empty

What about the world that made them die

What about the world affected your sight

Lately, I have lived in a world

Worried about you

Releasing it wasn't I who did not satisfy

Because you were lost

And I wondered what you really longed for

What about your life is not appealing to your senses

What about your life is not enough for you

I’d like to introduce you to one of the most wonderful women I have ever known.

Born on a summer day during World War II, she would grow up the second child and oldest daughter of four kids, and she learned to care for her younger brother and sister as a teenager. Her working-class parents weren't wealthy, but not having the world given to her on a silver platter taught her to work hard and to appreciate the things you work for.

She attended high school in western Washington State, and after graduating in 1961 she got a job at the Seattle World's Fair. In the summer of 1962, she began work at a drive-in movie theater, and it was there she met and fell in love with a young dreamer. The two of them were married that fall.

Between 1963 and 1969 they had three children, two boys and a girl. During those years, she faithfully followed her husband up and down the west coast of the US, as he searched for a way to provide for their family. They had some good times and some bad times, as all married couples do. Sadly, they divorced after almost 11 years of marriage, and in 1973 she found herself a single mother of three young children, hundreds of miles from her closest relatives. She had no career, and although she had taken odd jobs during her marriage, most of her time and energy had been spent being a full-time mother and wife, and she needed to find a way to hold her family together.

This amazing woman struggled with doubt, fear, pain and loneliness, but she made sure her children never felt they were anything but a blessing in her life. She brought her small family back to Washington State to be closer to her parents, and while somehow making their meager allotment of food stamps stretch each week, she went back to school. By taking classes at a local community college, she acquired skills which would enable her to provide her family with a good life.

They were never rich, and Hamburger-Helper was on the menu a lot more often than steak, but they never went hungry - and they had something that a lot of people never know: a warm home, full of love and laughter. There was always room for at least one pet, punishments were done more by looks of disappointment than anything else, and their family enjoyed far more happy times than sad ones.

From the moment she became a mother, even during all of the challenges life threw at her, she gave her children some priceless gifts. A passion for books and reading was basic to her nature, and story time was always important. This fascination and desire for words and ideas became a deep-rooted part of her children's souls and laid the groundwork for giving them a love of learning... and she was their first and very best teacher. Her pride in their accomplishments, coupled with high expectations for progress, gave them a strong sense of self-worth, and her examples of hard work, commitment and perseverance forged deep within them an inner strength which would allow them to become the best people they could be. Her love for her family was always so strong and constant they never for a minute doubted her, or their places in her heart. This gave them the security and faith to be able to give love to others.

While she never did remarry, she never let the fierce love in her heart wither. Over the years as her children grew, she opened her heart, and often her home, to many of their friends as well. These extra kids all ended up calling her Mom, and she helped to shape their lives and personalities as well. She was always ready to come to the rescue if any of them needed her, and all of them still respect and love her.

Who was she? Her name was Audine Grein, but I always knew her as Mom. I am truly blessed to be her son. Compared to many of my friends growing up, I always had a very unique relationship with Mom. We never really fought or argued, and I cannot remember a time in my life when I had anything but respect and love for her. I'm sure I tried her patience over the years, especially when I was a brilliant teenager who knew everything, but she was always my rock, my hero, my inspiration, and my friend.

She gave me just enough space to be myself, and just enough guidance to keep me from disaster. Though I may not have told her often enough, I was always extremely proud of her, and everything that she achieved.

In 1985, my wife and I had our first child, and since Mom was just 42, she informed us she was way too young to be a grandma. Since her mother was still using the title anyway, Mom became Nanny.

For over thirty years she was Nanny to grandkids and great-grandkids alike. I owe this amazing woman so much more than I can say... and she never expected anything more than love in return.

She taught me to read before I was 5, and it's her fault my bathroom doubles as a library. When you potty-train a young child by putting a book in their hands, you may just create a lifelong habit. She is also responsible for my vocabulary. She had a knowledge of the English language I have yet to find an equal to, and I guarantee there is no prouder memory in my mind than the first time I actually won a game of Scrabble against my mother, the word-master.

She taught me to drive, to budget, to cook -- and that mothers really do have ESP when it comes to knowing the truth, so you might as well just be honest with them. She taught me to love myself and others, and more importantly, she taught me as long as you believe in yourself, it doesn't matter what the world says or thinks about you - the only limits you have, are the ones you set for yourself.

As I watch my own branch of our family tree grow, I am reminded just how blessed we are to have had her in our lives, our hearts, and our souls, not to mention most of our DNA.

Regardless of whether she was Mom, Nanny, or Great-Grandma, she was always a pillar of strength, a light in the darkness, a warm hug when the world was cold, the absolute best place to turn when you needed to know the answer to just about any question.

Hers is still the face and voice that deep inside I long for when I get a scrape on my knee, or in my heart.

I love you Mom. That's always and forever.

------------------------

© 2023 - dustygrein

violence

sadness

and some more of both

led me down a path

i never thought i'd go

comment after comment

some praise, some funny

to think i'd do all this work

and not care if i made money

to balance around school

to make sure that i write

but to work on what I love

always feels just right

to type out all my fears

and fantasies, and tears

my deep dark thoughts

that i hide from everyone else

i can show them off here

like a game of show and tell

so 100 posts later

and then 100 posts more

i'll keep writing the sadness

and horror, and gore

and so much more

Having been sucked into the world of Paranormal Pens, I neglected to give proper recognition to @dustygrein for the wonderful single-sentence submission he created for the 11 Random Words challenge which ended June 5th. This challenge was judged by "likes" so... I guess that says something. I'm just stoked that there were no submissions I didn't thoroughly enjoy. Here's Dusty's work of genius:

-- My father was moonstruck at a young age, and though he had a very whimsical soul, he also had great, almost psychic, intuition; in his handwritten journal he foretold the arrival of a dastardly entity at his club, the Comedy Fortress, who would be filled with both a nefariously melancholy demeanor and perversely righteous indignation. --

This entry is a mere 55 words, and since I provided 11 of them, technically, I'm responsible for 20% of the winning entry. Thank you. Thank you very much.

I recently read Dusty's novel, The Sleeping Giant, to The Boss, bit by bit, while she showers each evening. She usually turns on her radio for the occasion, but lately she's been yelling at me to "Read! Read!" before shining up. We both really enjoyed The Sleeping Giant, so it comes with the coveted BJLC Seal of Approval!

Thanks also to @Danceinsilence @Freetobeme @pchiefc @H1 and @mstewart for your submissions. I look forward to seeing your entries for my other awe-inspiring challenges, one of which will issue a big, fat, pay-it-forward award of $100 to the long-winded writer who commits to the 5k minimum story about diplomacy among the Kapok trees of the Taputini rain forest in the Amazon river basin. There is a minimum entry number on that challenge, and so far only 2 out of a necessary 10 entries have been posted by @Drsemicolon and @akitoyu --each of which I highly recommend for your reading pleasure. If there are enough entries, someone's going to walk away with a C-note! Think of it! That'll almost fill your gas tank!