Sensory Awareness

Posted on October 18, 2024 by hdh

The writing spark for this piece was Sensory Highlights. Here’s is my take on that.

Sensory Awareness

We all have five senses

At least that’s what they say

They tell you in school

You use all every day

Sight for your eyes and your nose handles smell

Your ears let you hear, and your mouth tastes so well

Whole body claims touch. That all. But they lied

I claim there are more. Here’s a list. You decide.

 

There are things to accomplish. There are things you must do.

It’s your sense of purpose that will carry you through.

 

Your house is on fire or you just cut your hand

It’s your sense of urgency. Just don’t sit there and stand

 

There’s a mountain to climb. There’s a river to ford.

It’s your sense of adventure. Go pull that ripcord

 

You are clever and witty. You can tell a good joke.

It’s your good sense of humor. Makes you one happy bloke

 

You fight for what’s right. You protect those in need.

It’s your sense of duty. Such an honorable breed

 

You turn in when due. You catch the last train

It’s your good sense of timing. That’s using your brain.

 

You flow with the music. You clap to the beat

Your good sense of rhythm is always a treat

 

Those are a few – of the senses I share

Though the one we use most,

has become rather rare

For you see it’s quite common,

And here I must tell

It takes thinking, good judgement, to use it quite well

Common Sense’s what they call it.

They are many who choose

Not to use it at all. And for that we might lose.

What we’ve built, what we have, all the freedoms we need

To sustain our existence, all because of their greed

 

So schools hear my warning. Don’t teach our kids wrong

Start with listening and thinking, That shouldn’t take long.

Then the five senses, just to mention a few.

Use them all with each other; get a logical view

Then people can preach, they can put up a fight

But we’ll use learned thought to determine what’s right

“Common sense is not so common,” Voltaire once said.

Time to prove he was wrong, or we’ll all end up  ______.

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Same old, Same old

Posted on October 12, 2024 by hdh

There were a few minutes left in our writing group today, so we were given the prompt “Same old, same old” and had five minutes to write.

Same old, same old

 

Never get rid of it? 

Now that’s just absurd

You just have too much

And that’s my last word.

 

I heard what she said

Though it’s obviously true

Maybe she will forget

If I buy her something new

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Thoughts

Posted on October 12, 2024 by hdh

The writing spark was Everyday Joys. The prompt  I chose was – Write about a character who does not appreciate the good things in their life. What happens? We had 25 minutes. 

Thoughts

Nothing ever goes right!

No matter how hard I try

The faucet just won’t stop dripping

The rain will not water my plants

Water fills the basement

I have no control

Mosquitoes buzz just to taunt me

Bites turn to red, 

They itch

The protection is useless

Now the bread rises

And now it flops

I’ve done nothing different

Things constantly change

This world is a mess

They say my vote counts

I write and post, but who reads?

Why won’t the obvious prevail?

 

Then night comes

Music fills my ears

Dreams demand gratitude

The emptiness begins to lessen

Granules of hope take root

Your wife, your child, your friends

Your nature, your perseverance, your life

You hold the power of change

Though small, it’s within

You find solace

Stay the course

Let worries diminish

Find joy in what you have

 

Just be who you are

Everyday

 

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Watch the Time

Posted on October 9, 2024 by hdh

The writing prompt for this piece was – use a familiar quote or catchphrase. The phrase I used was from a familiar book written by Lewis Carroll. The catchphrase is from the Disney version of that book.

Watch the Time

I pride myself on being punctual. I’m always on time for every appointment and arrive at work at the correct time. There is rarely a day that I don’t leave at the appropriate time. 

I also love technology, though I’m not willing to spend a fortune on the latest gadget. That said, I look for new and exciting things, especially if the price is right. 

This brings me to my recent purchase. 

I owned an old Apple Watch 4. I purchased it refurbished two years after they had already released version 6. It served my needs. It showed the time in many different formats, could count my steps and activity, and even took my pulse and measured my heart rate. 

But the Apple Watch 4 is long gone. The new Apple Watch Hermès Ultra 2 came out with many more bells and whistles. It’s now basically a mini wrist computer that can also tell time. But who wants to spend over $1,400.00 on a frickin’ watch.

I decided to look elsewhere and found this new startup company, Elica’s Wonder of Discounts Land. It had exactly what I wanted…I thought.

It’s called the Jabberclock E. How they came up with such a ridiculous name is beyond me. But the price was right, so I bought it. I wouldn’t dream of spending any more than I did. 

And the things it could do!

The watch never needs winding or recharging. I was told that it would run perpetually for life. (I’m not sure whose life.)

It counts my heartbeats and pulse and measures all of my heart functions, both medical and spiritual. It is also good at measuring my height, though I don’t know how. As I grow or shrink (as one does as one gets older), the numbers change to represent my current size. 

It has an incredible GPS. I can locate any destination I want, even in places I haven’t even heard of, despite the fact that they must exist. Its Find Me app allows me to find myself whenever I get lost. 

Just like the Apple Watch, it measures my sleep and resting time. It records when I’m awake, in core sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep (that’s the time spent dreaming, not that I dream very much).

The watch also has a prediction and statistics mode, whereby it advises me on what moves to make when I play a game. You have to pay close attention to it in that mode. If you go against its suggestions, it transmits a terrible electric shock to your system, enough to make your head fall off. 

It also has a language translation system. I haven’t quite figured out how to get it to translate languages into English yet. All I get is rhyming gibberish whenever I ask for a translation. It’s not a function I often need so that I can live with. 

Of course, that brings us to the main reason one should buy and wear a watch – to tell time. 

I have to admit with all the wonderful things the watch does, telling time is a major problem. 

I can have multiple faces on the watch, and I can add little notifications and screens that allow me to see everything I’ve described the watch can do. I can even choose between analog and digital, date and day display, and 12 or 24-hour time display. But when it comes to showing the correct time accurately, it never does. No matter how I set the time, it always runs late. If I set the watch to the correct time and know that I have an appointment at a particular time, when I look at the watch close to that time, it can be 35 minutes later. I’ve even tried to fool the watch by setting it 35 minutes earlier than the real time, and again, when I look at the watch close to the time I’m supposed to be somewhere, it is the same 35 minutes late. Even if the time I initially set the watch was two minutes before I had to be there, I’ll still be 35 minutes late.  No matter how important the date is, I’m always late, late, for that very important date.

This was a deal breaker for me. As I said, I pride myself on being punctual, not that I’m OCD about it, but this watch just does not cut it.

I guess you get what you pay for. 

I still have the watch, and I’ll occasionally wear it. However, my go-to timepiece is one that was gifted to me a long time ago, when I was much younger. It’s a watch I can rely on. I know, but bear in mind that it’s just silly old me.

If you’re going to buy a watch, you might as well get one that’s based on a book you’ve read. 

 

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The Meet Up

Posted on October 3, 2024 by hdh

The writing prompt for this piece was – Deadlines

The Meet Up

It was six o’clock at night. We were supposed to meet here at 5:30. Where was she? I knew I was told never to phone her, but what else could I do? I pulled out my phone, dialed her cell, and waited. There was nothing—no ringing, no pick-up, and no voice on the other end. It was a dead line. 

Could something be wrong with my phone? I tried calling my home phone, and it rang. I got my answering machine, so my cellphone obviously worked. 

It was now 6:30. Something was definitely wrong. But what to do? She’d think I had abandoned her if I left here and she came. If I stayed, I wouldn’t be able to prevent anything that might be happening to her. 

I needed help. I couldn’t call her house phone. He would get suspicious, and the last thing either of us wanted was for him to find out about us. 

I could try one of my friends, but who could I trust? My friends weren’t known for keeping secrets. I don’t believe that she confided in any of hers. Besides, I’m not even sure she had any friends.

I decided to leave a note where I was. I took an old receipt from my pocket and on the back of it wrote, “Where were you? Call me.” I left the last four digits of my phone number on the note. I knew she would recognize the four digits.  I left it sticking out from a rock off to the side of the pavement. I needed her to notice the note was from me, so I also left an empty wrapper from a Wriggley’s Doublemint chewing gum pack, which she knew I always carried with me. 

I chose to head toward her house. I had no plan, but I thought that by meandering by her home, I might discover if something was amiss. And it was. The sign on her lawn said – For Sale, and a sticker over the front of it said SOLD. As there were no shades on the windows, I looked through the living room window, I could see that the inside of the house was stripped clean. No one lived there. 

 

———–

 

I was getting too close to him, and I knew it. His feelings for me created a significant dilemma in my assignment. He wasn’t the target. His boss was. Hanley and I had set up the house as our living quarters. I had paired up with Hanley before. We were to be the volatile married couple. I was to get attached to my mark in the hopes that I could gather information on his boss. 

I’ve done this plenty of times before. I wasn’t expecting him to fall for me that quickly. Sources had it that someone had figured out our plan, which would put him in jeopardy. I set up the meet with him to break up, but Hanley didn’t trust the situation. We were ordered to disappear and close down the operation. We had to scrub our plans. That meant clearing the house and disconnecting any phones he might have known about. Make him think that we never existed. 

I was so close to getting the info I needed, but that’s the nature of my job. You have a deadline to accomplish your task; if you don’t meet it, you disappear. There are always other fish to catch.

 

———–

 

I was so close to her. I’m convinced she was falling in love with me. We would run away from her cruel husband, and before it got too serious, I would have been able to get the information on her organization and then disappear. This should have been an easy assignment. I’ve done it before. Someone must have gotten to her. I feel sorry for that, but that’s the nature of my job. I must go back and retrieve my note and disappear myself. I’ve got other fish to catch and deadlines to meet. 

 

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The Birthday Present

Posted on September 28, 2024 by hdh

The writing prompt for this story was – One of your birthday gifts is a magic sweater.

The Birthday Present

It was my twenty-first birthday, and I finally got to vote. What do you mean, they’ve changed the voting age to 18? That’s not fair! Well, at least my family are giving me a special birthday party. 

The party itself was nice. We went to a fancy restaurant, and I was allowed to order a drink. Of course, I got presents when I got home. Most of my family gave me what I wanted, which was cash.   That at least allowed me to get what I really wanted. 

A special gift in the pile differed from all the others. It was wrapped in old newspaper. The date of the newspaper was my birthday—my literal birthday in 1950. It was labeled for me. My mother picked it up and handed it to me. 

She said this gift was from my grandma, who couldn’t be with us today, but told my mother to make sure it was given to me on my 21st birthday.

My grandmother died over 12 years before I was born. How did she…

By that point, my mother had walked away, so I didn’t get a chance to finish my question.

I opened the box containing a plain old, tattered sweater. My mother looked at me from a distance and smiled. She motioned to me to put it on. 

That was very weird, but I put it on. I got this tingly feeling in my body as soon as it was on. My hands began to vibrate. I didn’t know what was happening. Try as I might, my hands wouldn’t stop vibrating. Finally, out of frustration, I just called out, “Hands, stop vibrating.”  And they did. 

Okay,…also weird. 

My mother just smiled and nodded her head. What was going on? 

An idea ran through my head. I said out loud, “This sweater is old. I wish it were new. That would make it useful.” Immediately, the sweater transformed into a new, quite stylish one. 

Could it be? I tried something else: “Sweater, make yourself invisible.” Though I could still see it, the look on the rest of my family’s facial expressions told me they couldn’t.

I walked over to my mom and asked her to explain.

And she did. She told me that the sweater was unique. It was passed on to every other generation’s last-born child on their 21st birthday. This raised a lot of questions.

“But how did Grandma know who that would be before she died and when they would be born?”

My mother didn’t have an answer for that. But she did inform me that it was my job to care for it, use it wisely, and make sure that on my granddaughter’s 21st birthday…

Well, that’s as much as you need to know. Just be aware that I still have this sweater, and there are many things that I can use it for to prevent you from sharing this information if you are inclined to. 

I don’t think you want to test that theory.

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What’s New?

Posted on September 20, 2024 by hdh

What’s new?

So what’s new?

New is learning better eating habits.

New is that book I started that I must finish

New is learning a new language

New is to do something new

 

I asked what’s new.

Not what needs to change.

 

Ah, What needs to change?

What needs to change is the cacophony of noise outside

What needs to change is for people to listen more

What needs to change is the cost of everything

What needs to change is who we are and how we interact with each other

 

Not what needs to change,

What are you doing differently now?

 

Ah, different now.

Pumpkin spice is different from everything else I used to buy

It seems Christmas is an October holiday, so purchasing decorations.

I’m not seeing as many kids around during the day.

There are a lot of signs promoting someone or another on cars and lawns.

 

You’re not listening to me!

What is new in your life?

 

Oh, that. Why didn’t you ask me that in the first place?

Nothing much.

How about you?

What’s new?

 

(Speechless)

However, since this was written on “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” there was one utterance.

ARRGH!

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The Note

Posted on September 14, 2024 by hdh

The writing prompt was: “You’re cleaning out your closet when you see a peculiar note etched into the back of the wall.

The Note

Did I ever tell you that I hate spring cleaning? I hate going through all the clothes that don’t fit society’s norm anymore and clearing out all the dust balls that have accumulated over the winter’s long and tedious sleep. Not fun at all. 

Well, there was that one year when I was younger and more curious, a year before we moved into a new house. My job was to clear out the closet. There were plenty of clothes that needed discarding and donated away. That’s when I found the note etched into the back wall behind my bell-bottom jeans. 

It was a simple note. “Save Me!” that’s all it said. Like I said, this was when I was curious. Who writes a note like that and leaves it there? The interesting part of the note was that it was not a dust-filled seam, hastily cut, that was written long ago. My parents had lived in this house for 20 years. This note was clear and freshly cut. But who would have written it?

I would have asked my parents about it. However, I didn’t want to be blamed for making it. 

So, I decided to do some investigating. I searched other walls in other closets in the house to see if I could find any more clues. There was nothing. 

I traced the note on a blank piece of paper using the side of a pencil’s tip to get an impression of the note. 

I searched the room and closet, looking for an implement that might have been used to carve the note. I had no luck there. 

It was a futile search. So I went back to pulling at clothes to discard before the move. 

Then, I accidentally turned the bell-bottom pants that had covered up the note over, and my old pen knife, which I thought I had lost years before, fell out of a pocket and landed on the floor. When I picked it up, I noticed the blade had pieces of sheet rock stuck on it. It matched the etching on the wall. 

I’m not sure what made me do it, but I pocketed the knife, covered the note with some paper that matched the wall color, and put my bell-bottom jeans aside, not to be discarded. 

I’m older now. I never did figure out who or what left that note. However, I’m glad I didn’t get rid of the pants. When bell bottoms came back in fashion, I was happy I had something to wear that was original and still fit me. 

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Rules: Something to think about

Posted on September 13, 2024 by hdh

Rules: Something to think about

     

Do not text while driving. 

“It’s only for a minute of inattention.”

Speed Limit 30 Miles per Hour 

“That’s just recommended, right?”

Stop Sign 

“You mean completely?”

Handicapped parking only  

“You’re supposed to have a tag?”

 

Rules

 

                 

 

A Yellow light, slow down.  

“Then I won’t beat the red light.”

Yield 

“Isn’t that the same as Merge?”

Use Crosswalks  

“The shortest distance between two points…”

 

Stopped School bus with red lights flashing, STOP!  

“What do you mean $250.00?”

Rules

 

                 

 

No Smoking 

“But I don’t inhale, and it’s my right.”

Employees must wash their hands 

“But I haven’t touched anything dirty yet.”

Checkout limits of 10 items or less 

“But the line’s so short.”

Exit only 

“But I’m closer to this door.” 

 

Rules

 

         

 

 

 

Clean up after yourself – 

“Isn’t that what other people are for?”

Say please and thank you – 

“Why? If I get what I want.”

Pick up your dog’s droppings –

“Look where you’re going and It’s not my poop.”

Raise your hand if you want to speak –

“But then you won’t call on me first.”

 

Rules

 

Our world is filled with rules.

Some make sense

Some do not

But who are we to choose which ones to follow?

You may question or ignore

The choice is yours to make

Your choice does impact others

How they feel

How they react

And in some instances 

How we continue to survive and exist – together

 

Something to think about.

 

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Writing Music

Posted on September 5, 2024 by hdh

Writing Songs

I’ve always been impressed by how some singer-storytellers, like Bill Harley, Christine Lavin, and others, write stories, add music, and perform them. In 2006, I decided to enter the field. Since then, I’ve written 11 songs and registered with the Library of Congress to copyright them. I’ve used most of them in my storytelling performances. What has fascinated me is how these songs came to me.

 The first song, ‘Tell Me A Story’ (2006), the theme for my public performances, came to me a week before I performed at the Long Island Storytelling Festival in 2006. I woke up one Sunday morning with the chorus to the song (both words and tune) rattling around in my mind. I got up and hummed the melody into my digital recorder to avoid forgetting the tune. After breakfast, I worked out the chords for the song and then wrote down the words for the chorus. Once that was done, I probably spent an hour or more working out the different verses until I got it to a point where I liked how it sounded. I then shared it with friends of mine for input and revised the words a few times until it became the final version you hear today. After hearing me sing it, a colleague at school told me to get it copyrighted, which I did.

The second song, What Do You Say? (2007), started similarly. I had no words this time, but a tune ran through my mind overnight. Again, I recorded the song so I wouldn’t forget it. This was an excellent idea because I had forgotten the tune within an hour of hearing it. After working out the chords to play on my guitar, the tune sat around for 2-3 days. I had no idea what I would write as lyrics for this tune. Like last time, an upcoming performance spurred me to create the lyrics. This song was designed for younger kids. I had an issue at home with the concept of saying ‘Thank you’ and when to say it. My family and I didn’t always agree on when it should be said. I knew I wanted to write a song or a story that reflected my views on saying such things as please, thank you, and excuse me. The writing of this song took longer. First, I needed to get the words right, and then there were constant revisions based on feedback and my misgivings about how words went together. But I did finish it. I usually perform this song when I’m performing for smaller kids.

Some of my songs have been written based on the theme of the performance I was to do. For example, a PTA theme week entitled “Be Excited About Reading” hired me, so I wrote ‘B.E.A.R.’ (2009), specifically using the initials of their theme and its meaning. 

Another technique I’ve used was using familiar tunes and adding new words to them. I did not copyright these. For example, ‘National Parks’ (2013), another school-wide theme, was written to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain,” as was ‘Home, Home, Here I’ll Stay’ (2020), which used the music of ‘Home on the Range’ to tell about Covid and being stuck at home. 

The hardest part of creating new songs you hope to perform is learning them. I tape myself singing the songs and then sing them repeatedly, aloud, constantly referring to the words or listening to the tape until they become ingrained in my mind. I want to perform them without a cheat sheet.

Now that I haven’t performed in a while, I have trouble remembering the words and chords of many of the songs I have written. I also haven’t been motivated to write new songs except occasionally for our writing groups. 

If I’m prompted with a good writing topic in one of these writing groups, I might do my writing in song, even if I don’t record them, like these – ‘Home, Home Here I’ll Stay’, ‘International Do Nothing Day’, ‘The Answer is NO!’, and Lids.

Where will my next tune take me? I’m not sure. There must be other ways to create songs. I still subconsciously wait for music to come to me when I’m sleeping; I’ll take it from there when it does.

 

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