In the spring of 1975 when I was 22, my boyfriend Nick and I decided we would go to Europe after I graduated from college in June. (He was already finished with school and up for an adventure). The goal was to go for a year and the original plan (or at least the one…
Category: Memories
Flash Memoir: November 22, 1963
I remember exactly where I was when John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. I was in my 4th grade class at Bailey Inglish Elementary School in Bonham, Texas, which is 70 miles from Dallas. I can’t remember exactly how we received the news, though I think it was over the loud-speaker. That seems insensitive…
Tribute to My Daddy
I wrote this a while back but in honor of my beloved father, I’d like to put it here on my blog today. I was blessed with a fine father who knew the value of love. “Have I told you today how much I love you?” This was a question my father asked me every…
Critical Components of Flash Fiction and Flash Nonfiction
Flash fiction and flash nonfiction differ clearly in content, but many of the needs are the same given the conciseness of the form. In an excerpt from The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Flash Fiction, Nathan Leslie in his article, “The “V” Word,” states, “By focusing on language, scene, voice, and character, my students…
Haiku Prompt: Healing Gifts
This was a good day An old friend was kind to me Gave back some keep-sakes Nothing of value Except to me and my kin A kind gift of love Good actions can heal Close wounds that have long since ached Shift coldness to warmth Tonight I sleep glad Knowing big-heartedness lives Feeling its embrace
Haiku Prompt: I Saw Sis Today
Today I saw Sis Her bright smile clear in my mind Her laugh like music Her olive skin smooth Her fingers slim and tapered Her brown eyes twinkling Her wore a plaid skirt And an open-throated blouse Her silver hair short She stood not far off And I felt happy inside Seeing her glad face…
Prompt: My Sister’s Eulogy Complete with a Few Jokes
Good afternoon. My name is Len Leatherwood and I am Leslie’s younger sister. On behalf of my entire family, I’d like to thank you for coming today to help us celebrate Leslie’s life. We are all here because we loved her. So, thank you. Leslie. How do I best describe her? First, my sister had…
Flash Essay Prompt: Losing My Sister Twice
Today, I’m sad. I feel a weight in my chest and a general heaviness in my whole body. I just want to lay my head down, stare at the wall, or go to sleep. Of course I know why I’m sad. It’s reasonable to be melancholy when you’ve just lost your only sister, your oldest…
Revisited Prompt: Edward Weston Photo: Wrecked Model T
The car looked like a Model T, or what was left of it. It was more rightly, the carcass of a Model T with no wheels or tires, no engine, no seats. Only the body of the old car, rusted, bent, and disheveled, like an old woman with too many miles and too much booze. …
Flash Memoir: Where the Love Was
I didn’t want to go to kindergarten when it was time for me to go. All my friends were going to Humpty Dumpty Play School, but I hated it. I much preferred to stay at home and play by myself or with baby Sam in our room, near Mama. I played school on my own,…
20 Minutes a Day 