Friday Writings #245: Family

 

 

Hello again, dear Word Weavers –

and apologies for my total absence last week. I was very pleasantly otherwise occupied by an exciting, in-person reunion with several long-lost cousins, whom I hadn’t seen since they were kids and I in my mid-thirties – and then only once, as they lived far away from me. When my mum and their grandmother, who were first cousins, finally died, the communication channel between us was gone and we lost touch – until another cousin, from a different but closely connected branch of the family, found me on facebook ... and then one of the others found her on Ancestry …

Their late father was my first cousin once removed (cousinly relationships are quite complex!). I was very fond of him – he was a bit like an older brother to me for a while – so I was thrilled to learn that he always spoke of me affectionately too. I was quite famous to his children, they tell me! Here’s a photo of him and me dancing together. I can’t recall what the occasion was, but I must have been about 16. He was seven years older than me, and his name was Leo.

 

 

Everyone came here from various parts of Australia (Sydney, Newcastle, Ipswich) so we could spend the weekend together. One also brought his wife, another her young daughter. (There was even a small, polite dog in the party.) My son, who is of their generation and also only met them that once, came too, from Melbourne. One cousin in Melbourne and another in Adelaide couldn’t make it this trip, but are keen to come and visit me in the near future.

At the weekend we all had a great time looking though old family photos, including albums I inherited from my mother, putting names to faces which some of us had been uncertain of identifying, and swapping stories and reminiscences. My son was fascinated too. The plan is to keep in touch by family gatherings on Zoom henceforth – and also with some more distant (in both senses) cousins overseas, with whom Ancestry has reunited us, who can fill in other parts of the extensive family history.

After all that, my (optional) prompt for you this week is, unsurprisingly, Family – whatever that word inspires in you.

Guidelines: Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes), post to your blog, add your link to that blog post below, and please read and comment on what others share. (Also you may talk to us and each other in the comment box below.)

In this part of the world, Spring is here! Regardless of climate change and other horrors, it still brings with it some lightness of heart and lifting of the spirit. 

Next week, you’ll be asked to include in your writing one, some or all of the following light-hearted words: fol-de-lol, frippery, tender, delight, singing, sweet, new. 

Happy writing, everyone!

 

 

Friday Writings #242: Perspective

 

“Perspective is a choice.” 

I heard that phrase as I was getting off the train, on my way home from the immunologist’s office. I didn’t see the person who spoke the words, but the sentiment stuck to my skull. So, of course, my dear poets and storytellers, for today’s optional prompt, I must invite you to write poetry or prose which explores perspective. The concept has invaded my head, and I totally believe in spreading random philosophical incursions *cough*. 

As always, add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant, please. 369 words maximum. Share old or new poetry or prose, write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Share your perspective on their contributions.

next week: We’ll invite you to write poetry or prose which includes numbers.

Friday Writings #241: Change

 

 

 

Dear Word Weavers –

Early this month, on the Celtic calendar, we had the festival of Imbolc, known as a time of new beginnings. Well, we in the Southern Hemisphere did. In the North of the world, it was Lughnasadh, or Lammas: the meaning not so different, perhaps, as that too is a time of seasonal change.

Because Imbolc looks forward to the coming of Spring, we think of it as welcoming the new beginnings. For instance my irises have already been blooming, always a joy.

 

Photo © Rosemary Nissen-Wade 2026

 

But I forgot that new beginnings imply endings. 

As some of you who are on facebook or Instagram already know, my dear little Burmese cat, Poppi, aged 15, died in the first week of August. After just a few days of symptoms that concerned me, she had a sudden seizure in the vet’s arms before she could even be tested – indicating a brain tumour. ‘Nothing anyone could have done,’ I’m told. I have since learned that such tumours are not uncommon in cats of that age: slow-growing, benign, but eventually getting too big for the brain space. (The cause remains a mystery.)

I’m glad that it was very quick, and that life had taught her to trust she would be loved and looked after. She had passed a comfortable night and enjoyed her breakfast.

So my life has changed – just like that. My time and attention were very focused on her for these last five years since she came to live with me. Now, there’s no need to consider her wellbeing at all – taking care not to leave objects in the way of her walking or resting; being conscious whether particular doors are open or closed; planning to be at home as much as possible during her waking hours; keeping stocked up with her food … and so on.

Change can be complex. I am in the middle of grief, of course. Also I find I am getting more done – partly from my usual strategy of keeping busy when dealing with grief, and partly because I simply have more time available now that I’m freed of that responsibility (though it was one I was only too willing to embrace).

It happens that there are a few other changes going on as well – re-organising my home, including an early spring clean; adaptations to my exercise program; my pharmacist and various practitioners I see all moving (independently) to new locations; my body dictating changes to how I sleep, from decades curled on my side to becoming a back sleeper (and finding I sleep much more soundly); and a forthcoming exciting reunion with a whole family of long-lost cousins I haven't seen since they were children. 

Do you have any major changes happening at present? Or even little ones? (Probably. After all, we are told that ‘change is the only constant.’) Possibly the idea of change sends you back in your mind to some – or a particular one – which took place in the past? Perhaps you are not focused on personal changes so much as the big global ones ... or maybe those in your neighbourhood?

Your optional prompt this week is to tell us about change, whatever it calls to mind for you just now.  Or serve us up something you’ve previously written on the subject.

Guidelines: Poetry or prose, new or old, on topic or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes). One post per person, please, and link to that post on your blog via Mister Linky below. (‘Mister Kinky,’ said autocorrect. Hmm … I’ll leave that with you.) As always, do please read and acknowledge your fellow-participants; and you may also talk to us in the Comments section below.

Next week: We will invite you to write poetry or prose which explores perspective. 

Friday Writings #240: Despair and Delight

Greetings, my dear poets and storytellers. How is life in your bit of the universe? Good, I hope. Around here, things are moving forward… s l o w l y. But they are moving, and that works for me. As long as there is some momentum, there is hope. Right? 

The last few weeks have been rough. In truth, this entire year has been more difficult than usual. But I think things might start getting back to some sort of normal. I started my garden (super late, but things are starting to bloom and fruit). The health procedures that had to be postponed because of my crappy immune system have been rescheduled. And if I’m very lucky (and I think I might be this time), my muse and I will be able to spend some quality time (writing and sharing) before the end of this month. 

Some of what’s coming will be hard on my flesh, but… oh, so very good for my spirit. I’m both dreading (the physical pain) and totally excited (about the upcoming soul boost). With the push and pull of those opposing feelings in mind, for today’s optional prompt, I invite you to write poetry and prose which explores despair and delight. 

As usual, add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant, please. 369 words maximum. You may share old or new pieces. Write to the optional prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Share your thoughts on their words.

next week: We shall invite you to write poetry or prose about change.

Friday Writings #237: Favourites Revisited

 

 

Hello, dear Word Weavers –

Here we are again!

Finding new ways to entertain you can be fun, but we don’t always hit the mark. If we get fewer than usual responses on any particular week, I have learned to look first at what is happening in the wider world. If there’s an election somewhere, or a major disaster, or a national celebration, it makes sense that some people won’t have the time or attention to give to this. But sometimes I suspect that, in attempting variety, I’ve chosen a prompt that lacks wide appeal. So I’d like you to give us some hints, please, as to what you like best.

For your optional prompt this week, please return to one of your favourite Friday Writing prompts of the past, and to that same prompt write something new. 

(It may be easier to look through your own blog first, rather than wading through P&SU back entries – though you can always use the search box on our blog, top left, for particular words or themes.)

Please make sure you tell us what prompt you're revisiting. When we see what you choose, we’ll get a better idea of what you like. You may re-use a favourite prompt from another source if you wish, rather than one of ours. And if you choose to go off prompt and create something with no such connection, that will still indicate what you like to write. (*Grin*)

(You’re also very welcome to tell us in more detail in the comments below.)

The usual guidelines apply: One post per person, poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or off, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes). Post on your blog, add the post link to Mister Linky below, visit and encourage other participants.
 

                     

Artwork at 'imaginary garden with real toads,' which many of us remember fondly as a wonderful prompt site, sister to our earlier incarnation, Poets United. (It is now archived, which means it can still be used as a source of inspiration by anyone who wishes, but new posts and active reader participation are no longer happening.)

Next week, we will invite you to write poetry or prose which includes an intriguing book title. Want an example? Well, here are seven that caught my curiosity at first sight:

1.         Beautiful Ruins
2.       The Forest of Hands and Teeth
3.        On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
4.       The Unbearable Lightness of Being
5.       Love in the Time of Cholera
6.       Something Wicked This Way Comes
7.       One Hundred Years of Solitude

 

Friday Writings #236: Of Gardening and Living and Such…

Today, I wanted to write/speak/read all about gardens and feels. But the air outside is thick with heat and smoke, so… my thoughts are on fire. I’m feeling terrible for Canada. So many flames. According to the weather forecast, Canada (and my bit of New York City) will be getting some rain this weekend and early next week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and my heart hopeful… for cleansing rain. 

While we wait/spell/pray for the cooling showers, my dear poets and storytellers, I invite you to find inspiration in one (or all) of the following quotes: 

“Gardening is not a rational act. Margaret Atwood

 “A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.” May Sarton 

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” Rudyard Kipling

 

Please add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant. 369 words maximum (excluding title). Let your poetry or prose be old or new, inspired by the prompt or by a topic of your choosing. Visit other contributors. Read their writings… Comment on their words… Wish for rain for those who need it… 

next week, We’ll invite you to return to a favorite Friday Writing prompt of the past. And if you already wrote for your chosen prompt, please write something new.

Friday Writings #234: Words for Images

 

  

Dear Word Weavers, it feels like time for an ekphrastic!

So I went hunting for some wonderful art works out of copyright and available for reproduction. I found the Open Access Collection at the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). From the many that appealed to me, I selected three which are hopefully varied enough to inspire different tastes in art and different ways of writing.

So this week, your optional prompt is to choose one of these images to inspire your writing.

This one because I have a bit of a thing for owls, and I like the ancient and mysterious look of it:

 This one because I think something with a person in it is more likely to suggest a story:

 

 And this one for its scenic beauty (and also because I fell very much in love with the Andes when I visited Peru):

 

If you would like to learn more about a painting, click on the link above it, at 'this one'. 

And if you would like to browse the whole collection and perhaps choose something different to inspire you, click the link on 'Open Access Collection' in the first paragraph above. 

Because they are open access, you are allowed to put your chosen image on your blog. Please do that, so your readers can fully appreciate what you write.

Don't forget, the prompt is OPTIONAL! People sometimes apologise for not following it. We want you to have fun, to give you occasion for an adventure in writing and a place to share that writing. If the prompt helps, great, but your writings on other matters are equally welcome.

Our usual guidelines apply: Post to your blog and then link to us via Mister Linky below. One post per person, 369 words maximum, poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not. Please visit other participants and cheer them on (making sure to check back for those who join in later in the week); also talk to us and/or each other in the comments here if you wish.

Next week: We will invite you to write about a body of water, real or fictional, that holds a special place in your heart.

Friday Writings #233: “set another goal … dream a new dream”

Greetings, dear poets and storytellers. I hope you are doing as well as you possibly can, considering the whole world seems to be a bit of a mess. I’ve been in an introspective and more than slightly frustrated mood for the last few weeks. You see, I was supposed to be done with certain responsibilities the second week of March. Now March has come and gone… June is going the same way… So, it seems that I’ll be still on the hook until July (fingers crossed, right?).

I feel like I’m too late for everything this year: I’ve yet to start my garden or a new writing project originally scheduled for March. Medical treatments/procedures that were supposed to be done by the end of this month won’t even start until August (or September). I can’t interact on social media or my personal blog for at least another 2 weeks (maybe 3).

So, as you might suspect, I’m a tad irritated and a lot in my own head, thinking thoughts about time and deadlines and such… which brings me, to the reason behind today’s optional prompt: I invite you to find inspiration in the following quote, by C. S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” Since I’ve been chanting these words like a mantra, I wish to see what you and your muse inks out of them.

As usual, add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant, please. 369 words maximum. Let your entry be new or old. Write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Read the shapes of their ink… and share your thoughts.

next week: We’ll ask you to be inspired by one of these 3 artworks: 1. Repose, 2. Heart of the Andes, and/or 3. Shield with owl figure. If these offers don’t speak to your muse, we invite you to find something else HERE.

Friday Writings #229: Wonderful! Which No Longer Fits…

A couple of weeks ago, an old friend invited me to The Tulip Dig, an event that involves a bunch of New Yorkers digging up tulip bulbs from certain areas in Park Avenue. I declined—the stitches from my last surgeries were still fresh (and angry). Also, playing in dirt (fertilized with manure) is not the most intelligent of activities when one’s immune system is not 100% reliable (um… probably, not even 85%). Anyway, last week, a mutual friend of the “old friend” called me to ask about my depression, since they were told that “she (meaning moi) no longer enjoys the things she used to love doing. And everybody knows what that means.”

I’m not depressed (thank goodness). But after surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and more surgeries… my flesh and bones and immune system and I have never been quite the same. I’ve had to make a lot of changes, be selective about my priorities, and find fun replacements for many of the things I used to love (which my body and energy levels no longer accommodate well). I’m sure I’m not alone in this. Time, circumstances, location… and all sorts of things force us to change how we approach life and living. Right?

With that thought in mind, my dear poets and storytellers, for today’s optional prompt, I invite you to find inspiration in the idea of letting go of something that used to be wonderful, which no longer fits in your life. 

via

Add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant, please. 369 words maximum. Share old or new pieces of poetry or prose, write to the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other contributors. Comment on their offerings.

next week, We shall invite to write about a time you surprised yourself.

Friday Writings #228: A Dead Tree

 

Oops!  

Different time zones can be tricky to navigate. To get the post published at the midnight between Thursday and Friday, I have to set it to go live at 2pm my time. (This time of year, that is; it varies with the different times of Daylight Savings between here – Australia – and the USA, what with opposite seasons and all.)  But to do that, I have to (at this time of year) make the time 14 o'clock in the settings. This week, I forgot and pressed 2. Which means the post appeared many hours early, as our Magaly has just notified me, and for you in the Northern Hemisphere it's a day early! Never mind; if you saw it – Helen certainly did! –  please consider it an extra bonus just this once. Well, we hope it's just this once.

*********

 

 

I used to drive past a particular dead tree on my way into and out of this town from my small suburb. I always thought it beautiful in its starkness and shape, its slender grace. I always looked out for it, cherishing the quick glimpse.

‘I must photograph it one day,’ I told myself often. But, on that stretch of road, it’s really hard to find a park. Years went by, of appreciating it and not recording it – until one day I had a very strong feeling that I really must do it at last. 

I had to wait until I was coming back out of town; no parking at all the other side, and anyway I’d have had to cross the road in that case, in a spot with fast passing traffic and no provision for pedestrians. As it was, I had to drive some distance past the tree, pull onto a narrow nature strip, then walk back.

I was pleased with the shots I got, particularly this one (© Rosemary Nissen-Wade 2019):

Next time I drove into town, the tree was gone! WHAT??? Going back home, I slowed to pass the paddock where it used to be, and saw what looked like a pile of neatly felled logs. How could someone cut it down? I asked myself. But perhaps the owner of the land had some other use for it.

Nothing happened; months went by. Finally I slowed one day to take a longer look and saw that the pile of wood was not really so neat. I realised that the tree must have been felled by one of the big storms we’d had shortly before I saw that it was gone. Mystery solved – and beauty still lost! I am SO glad I had such a strong urge to finally stop and take my photos.

This week, for your (optional) prompt, I invite you to be inspired by this dead tree, or any other dead tree you’ve seen or imagined. Or by the idea of beauty in death, or last-minute actions that turn out to be important. Or anything else my story and/or picture suggests to you. Or, you may simply ignore the prompt and write anything at all.

Guidelines: Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes), one post per person and link to that post below. Please link to us here at your post, please read what the rest of us submit (not forgetting to check back for those who arrive at the end of the week) and leave us some encouraging comments. You are of course welcome to make comments or ask questions here too.

Next week: We will invite you to find inspiration in the idea of letting go of something that used to be wonderful, which no longer fits in your life.  

Friday Writings #226: Inappropriate Laughter

Greetings, my dear poets and storytellers! 

How is life treating you in your bit of the universe? I hope things are as wonderful as they are for me in some ways (my immune system isn’t trying to kill me at the moment), and not even close to as horrible as they’ve been in other ways (I need more surgeries than prognosticated). It’s all about balance, right? And, if we’re lucky, also about a wee bit of decorum. I haven’t been all that fortunate in the decorum part. 

My latest bit of indignity involved puking all over a surgeon and then bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Which, of course, brought to mind today’s optional prompt: I invite you to write poetry or prose inspired by a moment of inappropriate laughter. Need an example? Here are 3: Raucous laughter at a funeral, giggling during a root canal, explosive cackles when a priest uses the phrase “friendly intercourse with your classmates might help”. 

via

Please add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant. 369 words maximum (excluding title). Let your poetry or prose be old or new, inspired by the prompt or by a topic of your choosing. Visit other contributors. Read their writings… and comment. 

next week, we’ll invite you to be inspired by one of the following quotes (or any quote) from The Princess Bride: 1. “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” 2. “Mostly dead is slightly alive.” 3. “We are men of action, lies do not become us.” 4. “True love is the greatest thing in the world... except for a nice MLT—mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe.”