Category Archives: Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie

MLMM – Music Prompt # 74 – Valentine’s Day Special – i am yours

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Time stands still

She sits in the white leather armchair by the fireplace, her legs slightly akimbo as one arm casually resting on one side, one hand holds a snifter of brandy alternately glancing at its colors as she swirls, sniffs and sips its contents even as she silently watches me, waiting.

The fingers of the outstretched arm are lightly tapping the the chair. It is the only indication of her mood. I had to make a decision.

Though she has not uttered a sound since I walked in fifteen minutes ago, I hear her smoke on velvet voice in my mind as clearly as if she had spoken.

Are you sure?

Beauty in all she is

The black velvet jacket gaps just enough to expose the sheer lace of the scarlet basque that offsets her mocha complexion beautifully. Barely containing the voluptuousness underneath, it gapes enough to know it is intentional, but not enough to be indecent. The black leather pants fit snug, but not tight over her wide hips, luscious thighs. Her black stilettos are casually tossed to the side, but she sits with her toes in the plush carpet, feet arched as if she still wears them. As though her regal bearing could ever be lessened by some mere trifle as being shoeless.

Trust Me. Trust us.

I will be brave

Never able to hide anything, She watches my face as I stand before Her contemplating. There really was not anything to think about. The decision was made when i walked in the door this evening. Hell, i think She and i knew this was inevitable from when we first laid eyes on each other over a year ago. There is no place i rather be, there is no one else, but Her.

An imperial eyebrow arches as She sees the decision coalesce on my face.

This moment is me finally showing on the outside what we both knew i had accepted in my heart weeks ago. She rises as i move from the door to stand directly before Her.

With immense release, I vale to my knees, bow my head and submit.

“Yours.”

It is likely only a couple of minutes as she makes me wait, but it feels like a thousand years before I feel the touch of Her hand in my hair, guiding my head back for a kiss in acceptance.

MINE.

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At Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie we are invited to use the lyrics of “A Thousand Years”by Christina Perri as inspiration to write about love and to “Feel free to take the subject in whichever direction that you desire.”

Music Prompt # 74 – “A Thousand Years”by Christina Perri – Valentine’s Day Special

MLMM’s Wordle #141 – Brained

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With his latest exploit leaving him temporarily unable to yell, his adroit digits fly over the keyboard. It almost seemed diabolist as the more he typed the more the words accelerated across the page in a desperate attempt to catch up with the seething mess of thoughts as they escaped the confines of his synapses. Drowning in his rage he pulled no punches. No he would not be polite in this, there will be no form of tact to soften the blows. Otherwise silent, only the rapid staccato of key strikes gave testament to his diatribe.

Minutes of manic typing pass before the cramp formed from being so tensely hunched over made him straighten his back and lift his head. He stopped cold as he caught sight of the furious expression of his likeness in the mirror off to the side. Still, the depth of his fury paled in comparison to the dazed and confused reflection of his partner standing off in a corner away from him. And just like that, the anger vanishes as he sighs in exulansis. With fanfare he yanks the sheet from the typewriter, balls it up and bins it.

Seeing the usual temper tantrum has once again passed, his partner smiles and happily bounces over to him expectantly.

“Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?”
“The same thing we do every night, Pinky…”
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week-141
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie | Weekly Wordle #141

Escape, Exulansis, Diabolist, Polite, Likeness, Fanfare, Seethe, Soften, Adroit, Drown, Mess, Accelerate

Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form, in any order that you like.

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For those of you who may have no idea about those last two lines – try this:

And if you’re still flummoxed go here: Pinky & The Brain.

MLMM’s Wordle # 140 – Deeper

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Enjoying a brief moment of kudoclasm, a corner of her lips turn up of as she thinks about how good it’s going to feel when he drives it home at last. Determined not to let it slip out again, she gets a firm grip his shaft.  She looks up at him expectantly, anxiously waiting for his signal.  Looking down on he, smiles grimly, placing his hand over hers, tightening their grip. When he’s ready he nods once.

With a slow, slightly twisting motion, it slides in easy for a moment and then stops in the same spot it did before. He glances at her and sees the naked resolve to get this done in her eyes. He pulls back, shifts and tries again.

And again.

And again.

Hunched over her, he feels the sweat of his exertions drip, sees it land on her. She is beyond caring, her breath coming in short gasps as she concentrates on her own efforts. He feels a pain as his back begins to cramp, but he’s almost there he can feel it! Owing it to simple somaticizing he doesn’t give it the time of another second’s thought as he pulls out slowly one last time and then shoves.

Hard.

And they feel it.  Their satiated breaths are understandably audible in the electrifying moment his shaft sinks in deep and stays put.

The aberrant earth blocking a solid purchase yields at last. He deadbolts the latches on the beach umbrella and opens its wide canopy against the glaring sun. Somehow knowing the wait is over, his stomach growls on cue. Laughing, she reaches inside the basket and tosses him a little something to sink his teeth into as reward for a job finally well done. He tosses crumbs to a sparrow and confident the umbrella will not tip over again in the grass, helps spread out a picnic under its shade.

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Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie | Weekly Wordle #140

Shaft, Kudoclasm, Somaticize, Pain, Naked, Sparrow, Tighten, Deadbolt, Electrify, Wait, Tooth , Aberrant

Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form, in any order that you like.

MLMM’s Wordle # 139 – The Coroner’s Tale

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“How she lay sprawled across the triptych. A human pupa awaiting the sweet kiss of Thanatos, but getting the cruel tongue lashing of Keres instead. The triptych itself, a most ghastly thing, was pinned to the wall as though it were a bed, and she to it.  Had I only seen the drawings, I would have sworn she lay across a divan in repose. Except for the missing toes, the only part of her the mice could easily reach I suppose.  As we came to collect the remains, I had wished it were only a mere image as opposed to the horror that was before me. There is a reason that was my last case.”  The ancient gnarled hands of the erstwhile coroner lit an equally ancient pipe.

“You know I am not a man prone to pleonasm, so forgive me this if I tend to such now. I must detail this as I recall it, or not as all, for the image of her like that sears my mind still. I remember I had to quickly grab hold of the nearest door jamb to steady myself it was such a shock.” I think it was not until he lowered his hand again that he realized it was raised to his nose as though to somehow ward off the stench of the scene then. Even his nose twitched in memory. “You sure you want to hear this, son?”

I nod and settled back in my chair waiting for the rest of the tale, somehow knowing it was going to take a while.

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Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie | Wordle #139 “January 23rd, 2016”

Bed, Pupa, Image, Pleonasm, Nose, Sear, Mice, Collect, Grab, Ward, Triptych, Pin

Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form, in any order that you like.

Wordle #137 – Early Morning Meeting

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I knew picked a bad time to quit cigs when my scapegrace of a boss texted, and emailed, at 1am to come in for a 7am meeting. FFS, none of us called into this farce needed to be here this damned early and he knew it. The latest ad campaign was in its fifth day of stellar reviews. Even better, fortune shined its loving beam upon us when an unfortunate comment sparked an internet and news firestorm. The fusion of the public parapraxis of a well-known, but well- hammered, celebrity and our tagline exploded across the Twitterverse three days ago. I know a couple of our competitors considered it mealy-mouthed for us to not enact actions of our own at a such an easy target, but this campaign was my baby; I stuck to my guns at taking the high ground and it has paid off.  We have been praised for our restraint, especially with such an easy target. The good news for this quarter is  solidly rising, and hints of possible awards in our future beginning an early buzz. We were sitting so golden; this meeting was simply a stroke to his meager ego, flexing his boss muscle to show he could.  So here I am, nicotine patch on my arm and much-needed coffee in hand as I pass the wall of windows on our floor overlooking downtown, dawdling, before I head in to the shenanigans.

The early morning sun was slowly rising along the jagged horizon of skyscrapers. Its shine, reflecting off nearby windows, was near blinding.  I rarely have time, correction – I rarely give myself time, to take notice, so on a rare whim I allow myself to stand there, forehead resting on my arm against the glass and just day-dream for a moment. No censure, just letting my mind flow where it may while watching the burgeoning dawn. Naturally my mind floats to the object who-has-yet-to-know-the-depth of my affections. I sigh, thoughts of her turning my soul gelatinous in a warmth that is no longer surprising to me. I smile as my emotions leak out in the relative dark of the office floor.

Aurora is so wonderful and smart and beautiful. What would she say to married life with an average smuck like me?

A soft gasp to my side turns my soul so queasy I nearly drop my coffee. Oh dear God! Had I said that aloud?! I slowly turn with dread, relaxing as I face Aurora.

“She’d say that you’re far from average and hardly a smuck.” Aurora takes my hand, grinning at what I know had to be a happy, yet stupefied expression on my face.

“She’d say Yes.”

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week-137
Wordle #137 “January 9th, 2016”

Enact, Parapraxis, Scapegrace, Meager, Spark, Day, Mealy, Quarter, Gelatinous, Queasy, Nicotine, Fusion

Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form. Use the words in any order that you like.

Wordle #136 : As Fine As Brittle

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After a spell of

Too many leavings

The robust soul ,

Where joy once flourished,

Has since fizzled

Into nights fetal-curled

In piteous tears.

A melody born of

A now insular life

Headlights

A cryophilic heart

One as fine,

Yet as brittle as china

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Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Wordle #136 “January 2nd, 2016”
Leavings, Insular, Cryophilic, Melody, Radio, Fetal, Pity, China, Headlights, Promontory, Spell, Fizzle

Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form, in any order that you like.

dVerse Quadrilee #23 : Curl
The rules are easy. Write a Quadrille (a poem of exactly 44 words, not including the title), using the word curl in any form.

MLMM: Music Prompt #71 – “Waiting for Tonight”

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In the sweetest dreams,
I have pictured us together
Now to feel your lips
–Jennifer Lopez / “Waiting for Tonight”

Waiting for tonight
I thought love was for others
More worthy than I
As each day I woke
To tear stained pillows
Yet how my heart beams
To be fated for a life
With a king to this queen
Joy bursting at the seams
In the sweetest dreams

Waiting for tonight
You were simply always there
But in keeping my distance
I didn’t see you get closer
Until I noticed there was something
In the way you touched my hand
For all my hopes were tethered
To protect me from hurt
I did not dare to believe
Yet in foul and fair weather
I have pictured us together

Waiting for tonight
You untied the binds
I thought fate had wrapped
Permanently broken tatters
To discover a heart whole
Tomorrows joy will eclipse
All the pains of yesterday
This new found love held
Tonight at our fingertips
Now to feel your lips

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Today at Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie, Sanaa hosts the Music Prompt with a New Year’s special, using Jennifer Lopez’ ”Waiting For Tonight” as the prompt. While Sanaa desires us to “…write down your deepest feelings regarding this auspicious event. How do you see or predict the year ahead, what are your hopes and dreams for the future. Feel free to take the subject in whichever direction that you desire.”, much to my chagrin, the temper(mostly)mental muse clearly desired to go the full on sap route for this. My eyes sometimes roll, but I don’t argue with the chick – I just go with her flow –  using Lopez’ lyrics in a classic glosa.

Happy New Years!

Music Prompt #71 – New Year Special,”Waiting For Tonight” – Jennifer Lopez

Tale Weaver #98: December 29th – Celebration

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  • What I have done since last year.
  • What I haven’t done.
  • Do I still want to do it – whatever it is – this year?
  • New things I want to do this year.
  • Plot out the general steps to accomplish such.

In what has become ritual, I spend the first couple days of the new year contemplating all the days of the previous one. It starts here with my being on this roof, making lists. It’s late and I enjoy the silence, but non-silence that is the norm for the City in the middle of night as most of the noisy fantasy that is New Year’s Eve revelry has faded into the quiet reality of New Year’s Day.  It’s cold, but I like it. It means I have the roof to myself.  Having done this for so long, everyone that matters knows where I am, and not to bother me. I come down when I’m ready or at 3am, whichever comes first.

I create these lists and then put them away in a drawer, not to be seen again until the next year. More like goal setting than resolutions, I try to accomplish what’s there to the best of my ability. Having done this for a dozen or so years, I like to review old lists first. See how my priorities have changed over time. Some years, every single thing I thought to do gets transferred in whole to the coming year. Some years, like this one, though not complete, I’m surprised and delighted by how much was done. However, one specific bullet point has transferred over for the past two years. It annoyed me to no end it somehow remained uncompleted for three years. I was determined it would not carry over into yet another year.

I glance at my watch, it’s 02:57. And as expected, I hear the old massive springs of the roof door screech when it opens at 03:00 exactly. The hall light spills onto roof momentarily, revealing a familiar shape, before plunging us back into semi-darkness as it closes. I immediately pull out a flashlight and turn it on, letting her be the moth to its flame as she makes her way to me.

Once she’s in front of me I let the flashlight shine on my notes, specifically on the last bullet point for this new year as rainbow points from the diamond ring resting in the crease of the notebook sparkle on the page while I silently plead to the heavens

  • Ask her to marry you. Pray she says yes.

I rise from one knee when my prayers are answered and swing the bright flashlight over the side of the roof in big circles.

“What are you doin– oh!”

I laugh hearing my brother’s cheering from street level as he lights fireworks at my signal. One of her favorite things, I cannot help but grin as she is completely entranced by the glittering skies for a few moments before remembering I am there. She sheepishly turns to me when the roof door squeals open again as family and friends also knowing the signal join this new celebration.

changing-seasons-01-1

Image © Mara Eastern used with permission

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We are prompted to use the picture and weave a tale in which a celebration occurs. Being it’s the end of the year, a New Year’s celebration is the obvious go to; I just gave it a little something extra.

Tale Weaver #98: December 29th – Celebration

Photo Challenge #145: Just A Little Tighter

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– Painful by Natalia Drepina

– Painful by Natalia Drepina

Holding onto hope
What it once felt like
I wrap it just a little tighter
But it’s a slippery rope
Trying to cope

With so many sins acquired
Every time I remember
I wrap it just a little tighter
Around the sorrows in which I’m mired
But my hands are getting tired

My soul the garrote
Sometimes untangling
I wrap it just a little tighter
Around my throat
In desire of Charon’s boat

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Today at  MindLoveMisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #145 we are prompted to use above image as inspiration for a poem or short story. This is what came to me.

Weekly Wordle #135: Goodbye

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I tug at the fabric of my blouse with impatience. All this gloss and glam really is not my thing for travelling, but a gal’s gotta do, you know?  I’m more a jackboots, jeans and t-shirt type of gal, but I can’t lie; I do look seriously good in this silky top and slacks. Yeah, I definitely learned how to dress better from all this, I’ll give it that much. I frown at my reflection turning my face at different angles in the light. It was a stroke of luck that I have my gear with me instead of having it shipped as I first wanted to do. Luck my ass! The goddesses-that-be who look over foolish gals like me knew I would need my good makeup to fix my face, so I thank you dolls! I ply on a little more foundation, to hide the discoloration trying to peek through. Sonavabitch!  The mirror in here sucks like a mutha for this, but I work with what I have. It’s an airport terminal after all, not like there is going to be a Hollywood dressing table in here.

Hollywood. L.A.

Who knew a chance meeting in the ladies’ room, a fist-fight, an emergency make-up session and some word of mouth would get me a call to go on a world tour with the crew for one of my favorite singers for an eighteen-month run. Eighteen. Months. World. Tour. I knew he was not going to like it at all, but it was an opportunity of a life time. There was no way in hell I was ever turning it down. Mama didn’t raise no fool, well, not too much of one anyway. He’s cheating on his wife with me and she knew it. I had no illusions about him faithfully waiting for my return. Still, he’s not the type of man you just walk away from. I had to make him do it.

“Baby, we knew from the beginning that I was not going to be here for a long-term thing.”

It really knifed him, my saying goodbye. He wasn’t expecting it and I wasn’t expecting him to come at me like that, but he did.

“You think you can just leave me! Leave me like a, like a, a fucking rum cull! You guttersnipe bitch!”

As soon as the words left his mouth I knew he regretted it, as I would immediately regret mine. I mean, I knew my role in his life, but I was furious! He had never said anything like that to me before, so I dropped a bomb in kind.

“But that’s all you ever were to me. Didn’t you understand that?”

He fell to his knees, staring in disbelief, as if it were all something alien to him. Maybe it was, I don’t know. I guess I should not have been surprised it happened, but I was. Hell, I was stunned. We both were. I expected to hurt, but Lord knows I didn’t expect to hurt so much. Not like this!

I hear the chime sound over the PA system and listen for the message; yes, it’s my flight preparing to board. The bruise on my cheek was now a ghastly faded yellow; my eyes were still a little red-rimmed from all the crying, but the swelling had gone down and the contouring hid everything else. I check one more time to make sure I got it all covered before I grab my satchel to join the passel of travelers like me heading for the west coast.

And I try not to think of the completely crushed look on his face, as I held mine. He knew better than to try to stop me as I quietly stood and walked out.

The backhand was easier to bear than that.

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Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Wordle #135

wordle-135

Sound, Terminal, Rum Cull (A rich fool, easily cheated, particularly by his mistress.) Knife, Gutter, Fabric, Discolor, Gloss, Jackboot, Passel (a group or lot of indeterminate number) Stroke, Impatience

Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form. Use the words in any order that you like.