This meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Words for Wednesday are now provided by a number of people and has become a moveable 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 them 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 creations on the post and others post on their own blog. I would really like as many people as possible to join the meme, which includes cheering on other participants (definitely the more the merrier). If you are posting on your own blog, please let me know so that I, and the other participants, can come along and applaud.
The prompts are here this month.
This week's prompts are:
- Justice,
- Mark,
- Game,
- Sleeping,
- Rivers,
- Human.
And/or
Have fun.
It isn't a game Mark. Please don't turn your back. While you (and I) were sleeping rivers of blood were shed. The victims are as human as you and I and are crying out for justice. So put your shoulder to it, shovel that coal and let's get this peace train fired up and running. Fast.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteHere we go! All of us with our shoulders to the wheel! Justice will be done...and served!
DeleteConcise, precise and to the point, EC. :)
Love the power and punch you delivered in such a short piece. Well done, you.
DeleteHi EC - wonderful ... that peace train needs to be fired up ... congratulations on an excellent take ... stay safe - Hilary
DeleteYou convey so much in so few words. Amazing!
DeleteVery poignant, EC.
DeleteClever too.
DeleteI agree with Jo:)
DeleteWow! Short, but very effective. Great job!
DeleteThanks so much for checking in on me and my fella. I really appreciate it. We're doing okeydoke, and I hope you and your fella are, too. :)
Short, concise and packs a real punch. Well done!
DeleteWow, Elephantschild, wow wow wow. As messymimi said above: amen!
DeleteVery good EC!!!
DeleteDa la casualidad, que en mi última entrada hay fotos de un río y también aparece el elemneto humano en alguna de ellas. Respecta a las otras, no hay nada que relacione a la foto, con esas palabras.
ReplyDeleteMuy interesante, las fotos que publicas.
Besos
VENTANA DE FOTO: Thank you. I am waiting to see where the words and images take people this week. And I do wonder whether people will choose the words over the photos this week.
DeleteLove yours EC, really good take on the words.
DeleteXO
WWW
Justice would be good around now!
ReplyDeleteMark my words. It's not a
Game, and we've all been
Sleeping too much
Rivers,
Human.
Cloudia: Perhaps we have had our wake up call?
DeleteWell done Cloudia. Succinct.
DeleteXO
WWW
Bravo Cloudia well said!
DeleteWe need to wake, in many ways. Well said!
DeleteThere is no justice here in my small household!!
DeleteMy two furry mates woke me up this morning...but that's nothing new. Each morning they do...checking to see if I'm still breathing, I think!
Short and sweet...and to the point, Cloudia. :)
Very clever - loved it ... well done Cloudia - stay safe - Hilary
DeleteVery clever is right.
DeleteWell done, Claudia!
DeleteWell said!
DeleteRivers flow on, and we must continue to hope for human nature. . . .
ReplyDeleteCloudia: Right now, some rivers are flowing more easily that they have done in years. Hope, fragile as it is, is something to cherish and nurture.
DeleteHow i would love to have more hope.
DeleteHere's mine:
ReplyDelete-------------------------------------------------------------
At the 65th retirement party, thrown for all railway employees, Chris greeted the river of two hundred plus employees standing in line to shake her hand. and then was presented with a magnificent gold watch and a ticket for a trip on the Orient Express – a dream that Chris had had for every sleeping minute.
The speeches were marked with cheers of Chris! Chris!
Nearly 50 years, Chris thought, I’ve played this game. My dream of being a train engineer, And no one ever knew. There is some justice in the world after all. I got away with it.
Maybe when I get back from my two weeks on the Orient Express I’ll tell them.
Yeah, why not. They’d never have given this fabulous job to a girl if they knew.
--------------------------------------------------------------
XO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: Love it - and yes, tell them. They can't take those years away from her - or the trip on the Orient Express.
DeleteGood for her!
DeleteI hope there are no murders on the Orient Express during her longed-for trip!
DeleteWell done, Wisewebwoman. :)
Lovely turn of happy events ... bringing to fruition a passion in life ... loved it - Hilary
DeleteWhat a shock for the employers.
DeleteWill have to give this some thought. See you later.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane: I look forward to seeing where your thoughts take you - and us.
DeleteTo mark justice that's been too busy sleeping these last three years and three months we humans are tired of playing this game may the rivers carry it away, and let us begin again.
ReplyDeleteEverything needs a fresh start, i think.
Delete21 Wits: Hear, hear. A fresh start for the world would be more than welcome.
DeleteHi 21 Wits - delightful ... a fresh start, how wonderful that would be ... Hilary
DeleteWe have the chance right now.
DeleteMy post will be over here.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: Looking forward to it (as always).
DeleteThe wonderful old “iron horses”....the steam trains were part of my late brother’s and my childhood.
ReplyDeleteFor a number of years during our Christmas holidays we travelled by train from Gympie to Mackay, and return, to spend time with our uncle and his family.
My brother’s first job upon leaving school was with the railway.
I have many fond memories of the beautiful old iron engines.
They huffed and puffed their way along the tracks next to Apollonian Vale at night and early mornings, pushing through the fog as the train grew closer to its destination...the Gympie Railway Station. The station was built on top of a ridge, and the approach from the south created difficulties, which, at times, required the use of a second engine to assist with the heavy loads.
The railway connection between Brisbane and Gympie commenced in 1891, ten years after the line between Gympie and Maryborough began operation.
In 1867, gold had been discovered at Gympie by James Nash.
And, then the game was on!
Brisbane and Maryborough both fought long and hard to be the major port for the export of the gold.
Mark my words, the folk of Maryborough, being human, jumped for joy, believing justice had been served. Many rivers had been successfully crossed when their town finally came out winners of the port battle.
Nobody was sleeping on the job, though. Gympie’s surrounding agricultural, dairying and timber areas across, and along the lush banks of the Mary River continued to develop at pace.
Rail transport to the Mary Valley was built.
Lee: This is lovely. A treasured memory for you, and for the people of Maryborough.
DeleteTrain memories ... puffing billies: little ones here .. but your trips sound such fun ... thanks for these thoughts - Hilary
DeleteWell done. I took the journey with you.
DeleteJustice? Do humans deserve it? Mark sneered at what game Laura played this time. She lay sleeping on the sofa, angelic and innocent. What next? Laura could wreck a car, and all she had to do was cry rivers of tears. And then, Bob's your uncle.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane: Love it. Mind you, I doubt that Mark is perfect either.
DeleteHi Susan and EC - clever yes ... but I agree ... Hilary
DeleteLaura sounds a mistress of manipulation.
DeleteI have a glimmer of an idea.....
ReplyDeleteRiver: I hope that glimmer shines brightly for you (and us).
DeleteI loved yours EC! I'll have to give mine some thought.
ReplyDeleteYvonne: Thank you. I hope you will - the more the merrier.
DeleteShort and sweet EC - Mark my word!
ReplyDeleteMargaret D: I will indeed mark your word. Take care.
DeleteGüzel etkinlik:)
ReplyDeleteBeyda'nin Kitapligi: Thank you.
DeleteHi EC - the words:
ReplyDeleteCome on human, sleeping time is over … mark the game … poetic justice waits for no man … these rivers will run their course until the end is nigh …
stay safe in these troubling times - Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: I hope the end is approaching, and loved your philosophical approach (with a gentle nudge to our sleeping species).
DeleteWe have had quite a rude awakening indeed.
DeleteI adore trains, btw...
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice steam engine!
Hot guys: There is something about steam trains isn't there? Greedy for fuel, dirty and still charming.
DeleteThat was great to read!
ReplyDeleteNatalia: I am glad.
DeleteI was sleeping comfortably when a loud whistle awoke me. I remembered the sound came from one of those infernal machines invented by humans causing them to cover the land with rivers of tracks desecrating the beauty of the countryside. Being a bit bored, I decided to take a look and launched into the air high enough not to be seen by those below, even if they had thought of looking towards the sky. It was always something of a game to make sure I was not noticed especially since humans had invented guns. Some countries were safer to fly over than others.
ReplyDeleteI saw a man crawling over the engine of the stopped train and decided he was trying to fix it, probably because there was a large, but somewhat hidden, hole in the water tank. Of course he didn’t know that I had visited the terminal during the night and pierced the tank with a metal rod I found lying nearby. In my mind that was justice to try and halt these infernal machines. Mark my words all this smoke belching all over the country and polluting the air will cause trouble for humans in the long run. Having checked the situation to my satisfaction, I returned to my cave to resume my sleep.
Will return to read others later.
Well done Jo - brilliant take on the words. Great fun to read ... cheers Hilary
DeleteGreat job, Jo. As Hilary says the words were used well.
DeleteJo: Love it. I hope the dragon sleeps well. And I am sure it is a dragon.
DeleteAlcalador himself.
DeleteA nice bit of treachery.
DeleteFinally ... a Wednesday with words! LOL
ReplyDeleteNormally everyone is still on Wednesday, right? 😅
Ella: Lots of people do wordless Wednesday - but we take the opposite approach here. And enjoy it.
DeleteSeems to me that HUMANS have had a fascination with trains ever since they were first invented. Of course, quite how they were viewed depended on your perspective. For the white settlers colonizing the prairies the westward expansion of the railroad was viewed as progress, so vital to opening up the continent. To the plains tribes, however, it was just another mark of the complete lack of JUSTICE meted out by the white man.
ReplyDeleteThe railroad left its MARK in so many ways. RIVERS were crossed and riparian habitat destroyed. Raids were carried out on peaceful villages while its inhabitants were SLEEPING, everything was fair GAME for unscrupulous settlers, aided and abetted by a callous, corrupt, insensitive military. The cavalry was only glorious in the cowboy-and-indian movies churned out by Hollywood, with its nauseating bias.
And the white man was always portrayed very grandly, stepping down from the train, square-jawed and resolute; the native as shifty and subversive, a threat to peace and good order.
So remember well, weekend railroaders. It may be a benign pastime now to polish up the brass plates, and stoke up the fires, and go for a little Sunday afternoon ramble down the track, but it was not always so. There is blood on locomotives – and injustice writ large. Just don't forget that.
David M. Gascoigne: A powerful and painful truth (and very well written).
DeleteVery true indeed. We mustn't be allowed to forget.
DeleteHi David - very well said ... there is blood on all expansionist projects ... always has been ... fine for us - but not for so many others. Take care - Hilary
DeleteOh very interesting post
ReplyDeletexx
Sakuranko: Thank you.
DeleteSo overwhelmingly many good and diverse stories from those prompst. Thank you all. I am just idling non with my Dragons ... Words for Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteSo very true David. Your description of the railroad building of that time are both very vivid and realistic.
DeleteCharlotte (MotherOwl): I loved your story. As I always do.
DeleteMi è sempre piaciuto viaggiare in treno, bella la Locomotiva.
ReplyDeleteBuon giovedi.
Giancarlo: That train is over 100 years old and one weekend we were lucky enough to travel on it.
DeletePiacerebbe anche a me fare un giretto sulla locomotiva.
DeleteUn abbraccio.
Giancarlo: I wish you could (I wish we could). Stay well, stay safe. Hug received and reciprocated.
DeleteI'm late to the party but it's always fun to read the results. Great photos and wonderful responses.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: Thank you. You have been very busy of late so I am not surprised that you are behind in your blog visits - and very happy to see you.
Deletewe once went on a steam train trip in the Santa Cruz mountains in california and we were allowed to bring our dog on board, what a beautiful time it was going through the redwoods forests in an open air car.
ReplyDeleteLinda Starr: That sounds wonderful - and I would love to see a redwoods forest.
DeleteI have a story poem called Mark's Train
ReplyDeleteThe Ornery Old Lady: I am heading over to read it now.
DeleteBeautiful Steam Engine EC.
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: It was - and was a treat to ride on too.
DeleteInteresting post
ReplyDeleteHimawan Sant: Thank you. Yet another post which is made by those who comment/participate.
DeleteOhhhh! I like the picture of the train. I'm going to use it as a prompt. As usual, I'll be using it on the wrong day but I'll call back to you :)
ReplyDeleteStay healthy and safe,
Elsie
Elsie Amata: I look forward to seeing what you make of that train - and whenever you use it is just fine.
DeleteStay safe, stay well.
Oops! I seem to have gone off an a different tack altogether. Here's my effort:
ReplyDeleteWay back in the ‘60s and ‘70s it seemed that every new hit single came with a new dance craze. One of the ‘biggies’ of my youth was ‘The LOCO-Motion’, first recorded by Little Eva (1960s) and then, again, a big hit for Kylie Minogue in the ‘80’s. The part of the dance I remember most clearly was the forming of a line, one behind another, and with our arms at our sides, elbows bent, we would move them round in a circular fashion, like the pistons on a big STEAM ENGINE.
I also remember the line.. “Jump Up, Jump Back - Now I think you have the knack..”. Well, there really is no JUSTICE in the world of dancing - by the time I’d ‘jumped up’ everyone else had already ‘jumped back’ and was onto the next part of the routine. MARK my words, there is no time to be SLEEPING on the job if you want to be a star on the dance floor. There was a little gaggle of us with two left feet (we called ourselves The Shambolics) who, to avoid hide our deep embarrassment, would make a game of our innate inability to keep in step. However, there was one dance when we came to the fore and could really strut our stuff. Remember The Chicken Dance? Here we go …..
Flap, flap, Wiggle Wiggle,
Flap, Flap, Wiggle, Wiggle,
Da-da-da da-da da-daaaa!
(Are we HUMAN, Or are we dancing?)
SpikesBestMate: Add me to the shambolics line up. And thank you for this - it is early morning here and your piece brought a HUGE smile.
DeleteYou're welcome. And thanks for sparking some fun memories with your prompts.
DeleteFun stuff! Nicely done, SpikesBestMate.
DeleteThank you, Bea.
DeleteJust dropping by with virtual hugs.
ReplyDeleteRawnrobyn: Thank you - and to you. Today and every day.
DeleteLove the train pictures! i think this is a good idea for a post, for people who are struggling to come up with ideas to write :) We went on an old steam train like that when the boys were younger, it does little tours around Brisbane I think every couple of months? they loved being on an old steamtrain and riding around the city, it was a fun new experience for them!
ReplyDeleteHope that you are having a good week :)
Away From Blue
Mica: Welcome and thank you. I have been fascinated by the very different directions the prompts have taken people. As I am every week.
DeleteThe train photographs were taken from an excursion we made a few years aago - and we loved it.
I really like the train photos too...as sometimes a picture really does inspire more than words.
ReplyDeleteWell done everyone...such clever wordsmiths!!😊😊
Sending you lots of love and hugs!
Stay safe, my friend ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Ygraine: Thank you. And you are a very, very skilled wordsmith yourself.
DeleteStay well, stay safe - and keep writing.
Hugs.
I tried to come up with something but couldn't get my brain to cooperate today! Enjoyed reading everyone's stories though. Happy weekend to you my friend :)
ReplyDeleteDeniseinVA: And a very happy weekend to you too.
DeleteUn sereno fine settimana a te.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: And to you. I was very pleased to see you back in the blogosphere and hope you are yours are well.
DeleteHave a lovely weekend and stay safe everyone!
ReplyDeleteNatalia: Thank you. You too.
DeleteNo se si lo he entendido bien, pero, ahí va mi primera participación:
ReplyDelete"Este viejo tren, podía quedar DORMIDO en el triste limbo del olvido, aunque eso nunca sucederá, porque siempre habrá un ser
HUMANO, que lo alimente con viejos troncos de leña o carbón, como es de JUSTICIA, si queremos conservar nuestro patrimonio".
Un cordial saludo.
Manuel: For those of us who, like me, struggle with Spanish here is a translation.
Deletedon't know if I understood correctly, but here is my first participation:
"This old train, could fall asleep in the sad limbo of oblivion, although that will never happen, because there will always be a being
HUMAN, who feeds it with old logs of firewood or coal, as is JUSTICE, if we want to preserve our heritage. "
A cordial greeting.
And WOW. You did indeed understand correctly and thank you for joining us.
Excellent everyone! Thanks EC!
ReplyDeleteMagic Low Crow: Thank you - we always appreciate your support.
DeleteNice post..
ReplyDeleteJustcherry: Thank you - do you want to join us this week?
Delete