This meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Words for Wednesday is now provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast.
Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts.
Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
The prompts will be here this month but are again being provided by Mark Koopmans.
This week's prompts are:
- Toilet
- Sunlight
- Dogma
- Spurs
- Vine
- Wilting
- Ashen
- Brexit
- Colgate
- Distillery
- Elegance
- Flighty
Have fun.
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Coronavirus is the new Brexit. Everyone has an opinion and regards it as irrefutable dogma. 'Sunlight will kill it.' We have to close our borders NOW'. Opposing opinions are dismissed as flighty and irresponsible.
ReplyDeleteEach new confirmed case spurs ashen faced officials to appear asserting that it will get worse (much worse) before it gets better. Other pundits dismiss it as a case of the flu.
Public confidence in elected officials which was already wilting has disappeared. Their exhortations to remain calm and carry on are ignored. Toilet paper and now Colgate toothpaste and soap are rarer than hen's teeth. Rice and pasta? Gone. Cereal? In short supply. So far bottled fruit of the vine and distillery products remain on the shelves.
Yes there is anger, anxiety and fear. The flip side is also there. Pollution and emissions in many cities are dramatically reduced. Strangers are reaching out to the isolated, to people with disabilities, to older members of the community with kindness and support. Small businesses are delivering goods to the vulnerable. The beauty and the elegance of a street in Italy recorded singing in response to a total lockdown moves people the world over to tears. Hope springs eternal - as it should.
Well done, Sue. Quite profound it its own way, and a radical shift from your recent dark contributions. I will take a crack at this tomorrow.
DeleteYou nailed it!
DeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: I chose not to let the dark side come out to play this week. We all need light. And hope. And love and laughter.
DeleteExcellent us of the words. I missed 3 of them today.
DeleteHi EC - well done ... people are out there helping others and making sure they're safe. I'm just taking on board what I believe and not listening to most ... amazing as one walks the streets - the only conversation is the dreaded and horrible Covid-19. You look after yourself ... from here - I am only grateful it's spring with more light around. Take care - Hilary
DeletePurrfect, Sue. You wove current events into the story beautifully. And I caught the singing on television. Another purrfect.
DeleteKudos.
Sue, weaving current history with words--wow. Awesome.
DeleteYou did a masterful job weaving this week's words into an article worthy of any newspaper. As this crisis unites the world against a common enemy, it's startling to see people worldwide strip the shelves of toilet paper. Stay well, dear lady.
DeleteVery powerful Sue!! Thank you! Big Hugs!
DeleteKindness and support. Excellent. Excellent post, too.
DeleteMay I break all the rules and just free associate?
ReplyDeleteToilet PAPER
Sunlight YES PLEASE
Dogma IN DISREPUTE
Spurs TO OUR BETTER NATURE OR OTHERWISE
Vine WE ARE ALL CONNECTED, BUT THOSE CONNECTIONS SEEM TO BE
Wilting A BIT! Perhaps this emergency will call us to our better nature and snap us out of so much prickly nonsense disputation. We might even learn to care and to cooperate again as in the "great' Days!
Cloudia: There are no rules to be broken and I love your free association. And yes, some days I am wilting a bit too.
DeleteLet's hope you are right, that this brings good in the end.
DeleteCloudia - great way of looking at life right now ... with Mark's words ... take care and cheers Hilary
DeleteOptimistic associations despite the bleak background.
DeleteExcellent!
DeleteLaurie: Thank you for joining us. I shudder to think what the dogma on toilets looks like...
ReplyDeleteRight now, toilet paper is going to be all people think of.
ReplyDeleteAlex J. Cavanaugh: Crappy thoughts and lives will do that.
DeleteI'm told that come summer time there will be yard sales with piles of toilet paper on sale!!!
DeleteHeck, some people are hoarding so much of it, they'll be leaving it to their kids in their wills.
DeleteSad, but true!
DeleteOkay, got it.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: I am looking forward to your always positive spin on these words.
DeleteMine will be over here.
DeleteI saw those wonderful people singing from their balconies, and there are still the heroes to read about who lift our spirits among all the negatives we hear. They had a psychologist on the other night why is it that people hoard toilet paper, too long to write down here but I thought it was interesting. No political siding should keep us apart. We are all in this together now.
ReplyDeleteDeniseinVA: We are indeed all in this together. The virus ignores politics, gender, countries. As we should.
DeleteThanks for the fun take on the prompts.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIt’s either one thing or the other! Like a rampant, uncontrollable grape vine growing under the glowing sunlight, first it was Brexit that greeted us at every turn of the media. We’d just had our over-fill of Brexit, and barely had time to take a breath when Megxit took over.
Now that the toilet paper war and the corona virus have barged their way into every headline, ashen-faced Megxit has limped off like an elegant, yet wilting violet.
Unfounded dogmas seem to have popped up everywhere, and made their presence known. It is evident in the way people are panic-buying everything from Colgate toothpaste to baked beans. No wonder there’s been a run on toilet rolls!
It may sound flighty of me, but I’m running off to the nearest distillery before the mob wake up to the fact that soon there might be a shortage of grog, too!
Whew! I'm feeling flushed!!!
Lee: I too am surprised that there hasn't (yet) been a run on booze.
DeleteThere has here. I ended up by getting a delivery firm to get my booze this week 'cos I knew they could go where I couldn't. Matt ended up with a huge 1.75 L bottle of gin and I had to accept pink champagne (Piccolo size).
DeleteBrilliant Lee - great take on life right now - made me laugh ... thanks! Hilary
DeleteThanks for tih funny take on hoarding.
DeleteAfter the first sentences, I forgot I doing a Wed.Word. write. Excellent.
DeleteNephew Eric works with liquor stores. He told us that there has be a run on any liquid with alcohol. Not at first, but it picked up.
Ha! Good one, Lee. Loved that ending.
DeleteWell done, Lee!
ReplyDeleteTeacher: children I'd like you to use the word Brexit in a sentence. Timmy you go first.
ReplyDeleteTimmy: every time Mum tries to catch something she's dropped she misses and Brexit.
River: I love that. And have Brexit more than one thing in my time.
DeleteHahahahaha! Good one, River! Can I have some of what you're having? :)
DeleteClever River ... well done - I'm giggling happily ... cheers Hilary
DeleteOh, so good!
DeleteRiver's little funny is so cute.
ReplyDeleteI'm not feeling creative enough to participate, but I always enjoy reading the entries.
Go gently.
Rawknrobyn: River's piece is inspired isn't it? I hope your endless creativity returns, but do appreciate you reading the myriad takes.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJo: I love this. We often often observed that 'pecking order' isn't an empty phrase. We are also frequently amazed at just how often the smaller birds take on the large ones - and win.
DeleteI amended it slightly Sue as you will see below. Glad you enjoyed it. Saw something similar happen in our back yard in NC, the Bluebird being the aggressor.
DeleteGuess I should read it properly before I post. Trying again.
ReplyDeleteSitting in the sunlight musing on the idiocy of humans and the fuss and bother over Brexit which is moot today with the current Covid 19 scare, I looked up above me and discovered a wilting vine on which a gorgeous Canada Gray Jay was attending to his toilet by straightening his feathers with such consideration to elegance that I was amused that a bird would take so much trouble. Unfortunately he was in the zone claimed by another bird, an Eastern Bluebird who attacked with his feet which grasped the jay's breast like spurs. I felt my face go ashen when I watched this display of aggression. Eventually they parted and the jay flew off, much to my dismay. The flighty little Bluebird took over the disputed position and peace reigned once again but I was so sorry to see the jay being ousted from his perch.
Jo: Thank you for reposting. I am a woeful self editor and need to be a lot more careful than I am.
DeleteHi Jo - that was fun and wonderful you chose birds as your subjects ... they do fight for their perch don't they. Cheers Hilary
DeleteA pearl of a snapshot from the garden.
DeleteWell done, Jo!! Hooray for including Canada Jay.
DeleteGreat job, Jo! Birds remind me so much of humans.
DeleteGreat words. Laura and I have become prisoners in our little old farm house-- Yes, we can still go out where there are no people to take pictures, but we are limiting exposure as much as possible otherwise due to our age and condition. It's not good.
ReplyDeleteBill: Not good at all. I am moving closer and closer to self isolation. I am glad that you have Laura - and beautiful places to take photos.
DeleteBuon mercoledi.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: Many thanks. And to you.
DeleteHi EC and Mark - I can hardly talk about Brexit or Covid-19 ... but feel for everyone. I'm fine ... just hope all those we love and know will come through the turmoil. Take care - with thoughts ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDelete2nd lot:
Oh for the days of the 1950s when Ashen Lent was commemorated, Brexit not even whimpered, new Colgate arriving in sample packs for us to try.
The elegance of those beautiful debutante gowns, with flighty arm sleeves … men felt faint … smelling salts were in demand, yet the men seemed to prefer a distilled potion … found by their lackey at the local distillery.
Memories taking us back in time … when life was simple … and the debutante days never touched me …
Hilary Melton-Butcher: 2020 really, really hasn't started well has it. My heart aches and my mind wobbles.
DeleteMark sent me these words in January, when Corvid 19 was an unknown to almost every one.
Love your use of the second set - and yes I was never a debutante either. I suspect it is something I would not have done well.
Hi EC - I definitely wouldn't have done the season ... and my poor parents wouldn't have coped ... thank goodness it passed us by. The 1950s were a time of new things all the time ... the corner shop changing et al ... new foods ... so much! Take care - cheers Hilary
DeleteThe days when life was simple ... yes life on the surface was simpler, but under the surface? I guess we were just as tumultuous and confused as the youngsterstoday. We were just more restrained, or had less occasion to make trouble. PS: I like, what you wrote, and my heart too longs for simpler times.
DeleteThanks Charlotte - glad I jogged your memory down towards those simpler times - I'm sure they were tumultous - but frankly after the war life must have been easier. Take care - Hilary
DeleteI think this is great, people need games especially right now because, everyone has to stay in everywhere worldwide. Gotta do something! :)
ReplyDeleteHot guys: It is a heap of fun and my introvert self loves it even without the dread virus lurking...
DeleteThis time I too used some of Mark's words to write a nostalgic piece. Here's my Words for Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte (MotherOwl): I thoroughly enjoyed your take on Mark's words - as I always do. I am still shuddering at the liverwurst and honey combo though.
DeleteAh BREXIT. Shall we leave, shall we stay? Passions boil, tempers flare, families feud. John was ASHEN-faced when his mother no longer invited him for Sunday dinner. It was amazing that political choice had become DOGMA in the minds of some, and that contrary views could not be permitted.
ReplyDeleteWhat was most amazing to John was that his siblings all sided with mom, isolationist, xenophobic twits that they had become. It was especially amusing that William, two years younger, a fellow who could drink a DISTILLERY dry, revelled in French wine, good as long as he didn't have to be part of a union with the country that made it I suppose. But he had always been a bit of a FLIGHTY nerd. He's my brother, sure, but that is due to uncontrolled happenstance and not to choice.
And Jennifer – she was a case unto herself. She had been sent to some hoity-toity school overseas somewhere, COLGATE I think it was called. It was supposed to engender ELEGANCE in addition to a great education. I assure you that in her it had produced neither. She had become like the last grape on the VINE, left there WILTING in the harsh SUNLIGHT, while others were made into glorious wine.
She belongs to a riding club where they do stuff with names like dressage, certain to be a pathway to inflated prices. I am not sure Jennifer even knows what dressage means. I don't think they covered that at COLGATE. She is even lethargic about going to the stables, and it is she who needs a SPUR in her flanks, not the horse. And speaking of flanks, she has enough for three (catty I know, but true).
She has called her first child Boag. Who the hell gives a name like Boag to a child. Sounds more like something to flush down the TOILET.
Take my family.....please!
I love this David. Of course they do make very good wine in England these days so your brother won't go short if Brexit goes through.
DeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: I am giggling happily. Familes can indeed be an inadequately charted minefield.
DeleteWe can't choose our family members. So glad you survived them. Boag?
DeleteFamily ... yes they can be trying. Funny piece well written.
Delete@ David – sadly we’ll be leaving with the bully boys in charge – they can’t lose face … but who knows with the present situation developing.
DeleteWhat a great take on Brexit – we should send it off into the social media world …
So glad I’m not nicknamed Boag … I’m going to work on what it means … there must be a story there …
Just delightful – cheered my day … and the sun is out – brilliant – cheers Hilary
WOW that was challenging!
ReplyDeleteHis toilet time dogma was getting old. The need for "alone time" was understandable but holding up traffic in the only bathroom in the house was crossing a line. Twenty minutes considering the pros and cons of Brexit was a bit much for a bathroom break. Even spurs wouldn't get this guy to get going. The dim room lacked sunlight and a wilting vine tried desperately to lend an exotic essence to the chamber. Smudges of Colgate on the counter an ashen reminder of the room's functionality and lack of elegance. This was no church, no center of genius. It was bathroom. Much better to sit at the distillery contemplating life's questions than a water closet. Still, he was a flighty member of the family escaping to the refuge multiple times a day. His toilet time dogma wasn't going anywhere soon.
HBF: You more than met the challenge. And triggered memories of my father hogging the only toilet, totally deaf to the frantic cries from outside.
DeleteI remember the days of single toilets and one person hogging the bathroom. Luckily for a number of years we have had two to use. I don't know why they don't make toilets and bathrooms separate.
DeleteJo: Toilets and bathrooms are (with the exception of en-suites) mostly separate here. For which I am thankful.
DeleteOh yes. How many times I've told my children taht reading is OK, but, please, pretty please NOT in our only bathroom!
DeleteGreat post bdear!
ReplyDeleteBjxxx
Ontem é só Memória | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
Teresa Isabel Silva: Many thanks.
DeleteArnie was ashen faced but in one nanosecond a bright idea revealed his pearl white colgate teeth. The T9000 will anticipate our trajectory at the distillery. In one flighty moment Bill Simons threw up his hands. "its game over man! now what are we gonna do, game over! he groaned, wilting in despair. Arnie used to Simons dogma, stated with efficient elegance "I will have to distract the T9000 at Brexit before sunlight hits the vine at nine. Simons continued to groan "thats strategically dangerous, aw heck, im going for a dump on the toilet, no-one listens to me. Its game over, man!"
ReplyDelete"He could be right" said the wizard grinding his spurs in the dust.
Always fun, EC
Another good one Spacer Guy. We are a clever lot aren't we?
DeleteSpacer Guy: This is a heap of fun - thank you for joining us again.
DeleteMark, you are a mad man.
ReplyDeleteLowes trip did not go well. Dr. David Dogma had been confused by the toilet section until employee Brenda came to help him. “You can do this!” This simple comment spurs him on to examine ones she suggested. As he gazed at Brenda, sunlight flowed over her, and beauty vined around her sweet face. Brenda suggested that they visit the garden section. He had been writing about a lovely spirit, decided he’d ditch it. Brenda is an earthly angel, much better.
Susan Kane: He has certainly stretched us this month. Which is probably not a bad thing. I was fascinated at just how well this week's prompts (which he sent me months and months ago) fitted the current nightmare.
DeleteI love your story. And hooray for earthly angels.
You did remarkably well with these mad prompts.
DeleteI love it! Stay healthy everyone ☺
ReplyDeletenatalia20041989: Thank you. I hope you and yours can also stay healthy.
Deletedear EC
ReplyDeletei enjoyed your words and these stories in comments
hope you are perfectly fine my friend
wishing you health peace and safe existence in days ahead!
take care!
baili: Thank you so much. I am blown away and delighted by the creativity of my blogging friends each and every week.
DeleteI STILL have a cold but am otherwise fine. I hope your family is well and happy.
Who would have thought just days ago that toilet paper would become as valuable as gold and Brexit irrelevant to the ashen, wilting people under the sunlight. Our elegance won't save us, nor our dogma. Maybe a distillery can make us clean water or disinfectant wipes or Colgate when that runs out. We can only cling to the vine and take flight, spurred on by the approaching darkness.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Sorry for the apocalypticism. I once heard Anderson Cooper call himself a catastrophist. Ack! Am I like Anderson Cooper???
Sandi: Thank you for joining us again. Sadly I think that almost all of us have apocalyptic thoughts in mind - hopefully leavened with love and laughter.
DeleteI have posted two now to play catch up. Last week's is here: wheeling and this week's is here: wilting
ReplyDeleteCindi Summerlin: Both are well worth reading. I am still smiling after reading Wilting.
DeleteI imagine the word toilet has been used quite a bit these days. Hugs, RO
ReplyDeleteRO: It has. As have the words for things we deposit in the toilet.
DeleteHer elegance was breathtaking; designer clothes, fashionable hairstyle, all topped off with that Colgate smile. Her face, however, was ashen as she surveyed the grocery store shelves and realized that once again there was NO TOILET PAPER. The shelves of candy and distillery products were full though. "Well great," she grumbled, "since Brexit I can never find what I need in the stores. Now where is that flighty little manageress? I intend to give her a piece of my mind."
ReplyDeleteonly slightly confused: How lovely to have you join us again. And with your usual flair.
DeleteGood game :D
ReplyDeleteKinga K.: It is a heap of fun. Perhaps some day you will join us.
DeleteBuon fine settimana.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: And to you.
DeleteGreat Post!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Bjxxx
Ontem é só Memória | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
Teresa Isabel Silva: Thank you. And a lovely weekend to you too.
Deletei enjoyed this blog entry. i learned something new.
ReplyDeleteanyway, I like your blog, wanna follow each other? please let me know. thanks :)
JULIE ANN LOZADA BLOG
INSTAGRAM: @julieann_lozada
Julie Ann Lozada: Welcome and thank you. You are a lot more stylish than I can manage (even on a good day).
Delete❤️
ReplyDeleteR's Rue: Thank you.
DeleteLOL! Thanks Laurie!!
ReplyDeleteExcellent write everyone! Big Hugs EC!
ReplyDeleteMagic Love Crow: Your encouragement is appreciated so very much. Thank you.
Delete