The Bag Lady

Ego

Mirrors reflect

Right or left brain working

What you are, will be determined

Intel

***

Cinquain Poetry Prompt 36: EGO is your inspiration.

I hate to admit it, but the first thought the word shapes popped into my mind was bodies. Ever since I was told my 155 pound body was too big, I tried to fight to get down to my high school weight of 120. I was always the skinny kid and entered high school at 80 pounds. Then I grew up and out and ended up at 120, normal weight for my skeleton. Then pressure to get back down to 125 was a goal after three babies under five, accomplished with a 300 calorie a day strict diet, ketones in urine check at a facility every day, etc. At that time people observed my body saying I was too thin. The fight was never ending. The extreme weight loss accomplished with that diet, walking three to five miles every day after always standing at my job from 6:30 to 3:30, aerobics, yoga, etc. My point here is that body shape is not just what you eat, exercise, etc but inheritance also. I have the duplicate shape of my mother. Maybe AI really is the answer. A perfect body shape no longer required.

***

Writing Prompts

Harry, the smallest boy in the group

Wouldn’t eat anything but soup

One night they offered a dish

It looked alive, an edible fish

The fish lay there, head to tail

Looking at it made Harry go pale.

***

*I had never seen a whole fish on a platter til a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. It was huge, about two feet long and looked scary. I still get the chills thinking of it.😀

Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Prompt Word!

Susan walked down this street many times, looked into the shop windows, talked with familiar shoppers, and today just got a weird feeling. The always bustling alley was empty. The shop window showed no one inside. She looked around, turned and looked again. She was alone. A chill took over her chest, her hands started to shake. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe well. Susan needed help, but there’s no one…

Susan collapsed onto the stone walk. A shop owner rushes to her but it’s seeming too late, she’s gasping for breath. Why did this happen he wonders. She looks perfectly healthy as always. He gets out his cell and dials 911. Susan was brought back to the real world by the paramedics. She sat on the gurney ready for the ambulance and wondered where she was. The crowd that surrounded her looked unfamiliar, as did her rescuer. What had happened? The street looked crowded now. She started to say something but lost her breath again. The paramedics revived her again, and once more before the hospital. What is happening to me, she wondered, now afraid to even think of it.

***

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #070

One-Liner Wednesday & #JusJoJan26 the 21st – Truer words

I said please surprise me, but you know how much I love that outfit with the blue front. The flower pattern of rosebud twins is quite appropriate for the day, don’t you think? Of course the choice is yours, that’s fine, but I prefer our announcement to be subtle. Do you think only the twin rose buds intertwined would work, since they already know we are pregnant? She just smiled and said okay.

***

MLMM Monday Wordle #460

Offering an ode to red vines

A candy I find that’s sublime

Chewy strings are mostly red

A sweet treat that may have been said

To be a soothing temperance

Frustration gone chewing dance.

—

Now others may see this sweet treat

Too much a threat for children’s teeth

But they may be temper prone

The chewability is known

For solace in that circumstance

Performing a tantrum stance

***

**The form, 8,8,7,8,8,7, follows “To an Intra-mural Rat” poem pattern.

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 48, Marianne Moore, 12/30/2025

When he didn’t reply, I immediately thought, “They’ve got him and now they’re coming for me.” His cell rang about ten times and I gave up. Our sister, Maria and grandmother Rosita, were staying home, sheltered and safe, I hoped. Jose, my brother in law, had to go to work, and did so, every day. I knew it was only a matter of time before he was yanked out of his car, or workplace, because it was happening to all of our Hispanic relatives and friends. Even children were grabbed out of school. This must be a bad dream, a nightmare. It can’t be real. Please let me wake up to the freedom I had a year ago.

***

Fandango’s Story Starter #231

“So, Joe, I heard you and Harry went over to the “Hot Tub Club”.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Well, what was it like? See any girls over there?”

Harry laughed. “Nope, just a bunch of us old fat guys.”

“I heard it’s a good place for cruisin’.”

“Joe, how many years since you cruised anywhere!”

“We’ll just a thought Harry. I miss my wife. It’s been five years since she jumped off that cliff with all of her friends. She’s the only one that the leopard seals got.” Joe turned away from Harry as an unbid tear fell.

***

Jim’s Simply 6 Minutes

loving snow

soft wet flakes landing

scooping flakes

—-

no rude gesture here

sticking out the small hot tongue

savoring soft ice

welcoming wintery gift

wrapping in a snow angel

***

Poetics: New Year Snow