http://cygnoir.net the black swan with digital wings Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:47:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Something I am learning from this exercise: the prompts often launch me in a completely different direction. I wonder what that's about. I am reading a book called "How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving" by David Richo, and this passage struck me today: Childhood forces ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/07/04/being-three/ Despite all the wonderful prompts, this poem did not originate from one; it has been rolling around in my head all day, and must be let out. garnish me with more than green side to side start with white plate blue eyes flutter lashes long and cautious where do I find you fresh and warm crisp or wilted fingers grasp for past shredded hearts dressed with time [Less than 100 words, but that's where it ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/07/03/salad-days/ This one from abecedarius surprised me, simply: "beards." I woke up with one clear thought: pain. My face hurt; my lips were being pulled back from my teeth in a jack o' lantern sneer. Opening one eye, I reached up to my lips and felt tiny hands. "Hey, asshole," someone very far ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/07/02/beards/ Today's blockbuster prompt is from Davmoo: "Please write 100 words on ...your favorite childhood memory." The wood stove in our living room was surrounded by pieces of slate. Old radiators kept the corners of the other rooms warm, but the wood stove, the old general, boomed forth waves of heat well ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/07/01/slate-and-stove/ And I don't mean the Transformers sequel kind. You and I will bust through my writer's block this July. We will do this together! All you need to do is give me a prompt, and I will use it to write at least 100 words each day of July. Send your prompts ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/06/30/summer-blockbusters/ I dream of being late for work, drenched in sweat, catching a cab to my home and not having enough time to shower. I wake up before my alarm goes off. The tick of a cat's tail is at my chin. The heavy curtains gap near the top, a knowing wink ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/06/30/bridge-from-sunday/ This sort of meme makes me both crazy and happy. The instructions are as follows: "Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/06/13/fifteen-in-fifteen/ Angsomnia: when, due to angst, one cannot sleep. I should have had a perfectly lovely evening. Before that, I should have had a perfectly lovely day. All of my problems were no more than minor irritations in actuality, logistical tangles to untie quickly and cleanly. Why, then, do I only fumble them? The ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/06/07/the-sprouts-of-despair/ I keep meaning to write about my first year participating in the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt, but I am a dreadful reviewer.  Did I take notes? No. Did I record all of my thoughts as soon as I got home? Not even close. My review, therefore, goes like this: ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/05/28/on-the-hunt/ Nothing good comes from the random days, the days spent flailing about one or two different poems or stories, the days with strangleholds on reason. Four times in the last hour I have written then deleted one line. Nothing fits right in the head. It is best, on the random days, ... http://cygnoir.net/2009/05/28/nothing-good/