It was her first time seeing the machine and she didn’t want to look like a dork trying it. It seemed like Donna looked like a dork no matter what she tried to do. Probably part of the reason was that her nickname in school had always been “Donna the dork“. It completely influenced her experience in school and even now as an adult, still a bit clumsy, she was shy to try new things.
Suddenly she was pushed by people behind her, onto the moving staircase. She desperately clung to the side rail trying to adjust her feet not to get caught in those jagged metal steps. As it went along it didn’t seem to be too bad but then the top came too quickly, and once again she was pushed and shoved off the device. Of course she tripped a bit but didn’t fall and as she straightened up and looked back at the escalator, she smiled in triumph.
The autumn chill descended over the town and with it came rot and ruin. “Yeah, that’s what my dad says every year at this time” Hildegard replied to her friend Mona. Hildy and Mona had been best friends since the age of three. Inseparable until high school, when the difference of one year put them in different schools. Today they happened to have a free Saturday and met at the old cemetery.
It was Friday the 13th after all, and the yearly excursion into the cemetery was a must. They walked along, trying to spook each other with tales of what really happened to old Mr. Gronky or Miss Eliza Whittaker, whose gravestones were prominent, but had no quotes or information on them. The two friends always paused by the small embedded markers of infants who passed away at birth or soon after. It was sad they had no chance at life.
The girls tried to avoid the newer mounds, which gave them the creeps. However, the old familiar ones were almost friendly after all this time. The newly mounded dirt gave them a strange feeling as it felt too real, not like the older grassy indentations.
Suddenly, Hildy grabbed her friend’s arm. “Oh. . . look at that!” She pointed to a new mound under a scraggly tree where a temporary cross had fallen over. They cautiously walked over to set the marker straight, trying to avoid direct eye contact with the heaped dirt itself. Mona lifted the broken wooden sticks and righted it while reading the written words.
“Here lies Thomas Tripper, murderer, hung by the neck on October 13, 1792.” The girls looked at each other realizing what it actually said. . .1792. “That was almost two hundred years ago! Oh goodness, Hildy! The grave looks new, but it can’t be! The cross is broken, what could have happened here?”
“I’ll tell you what you want to know…” the voice came as a surprise to the girls, and they looked up to see a dirty, ragged form hanging from the tree.
What is a life worth? Well, it depends. If you are a Capitol Police officer trying to defend the nation against a bloody coup attempt, apparently your life isn’t worth all that much. U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick (say his name, dammit!)died on January 7th, 2021 as a result of injuries he sustained the prior day as thousands stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn our voices, our votes, our democracy. Two of the men responsible for Officer Sicknick’s death are George Tanios and Julian Khater. They brought pepper spray and bear spray, which they sprayed into officers’ faces, and it was this that led to Officer Sicknick’s two strokes that ultimately killed him.
Mr. Tanios was initially charged with ten counts, including felony charges of rioting, assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing of Congress’s certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory. Yesterday, however, Tanios was offered a plea bargain which he gladly accepted, and the charges were reduced to two misdemeanors: trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds. The maximum time he will serve for Mr. Sicknick’s murder is a maximum of one year in prison. He has served five months already, his sentencing hearing is scheduled for December, by which time he will have served another five months, so who wants to bet he will be home for Christmas? The bastard viciously and without conscience attacked and murdered a Capitol Police officer, and he will walk practically free.
Yo! Kevin McCarthy … you talk about respect for the police and how you support the police … where’s your outrage today? Officer Sicknick was there to protect YOU, but I haven’t heard a peep out of you about this unconscionable plea deal! Republicans? Do you have nothing to say? Sigh … okay, I get it … just more of the right-wing hypocrisy we’ve become used to. Meanwhile, Officer Sicknick’s family will cry real tears for him at Christmas, while George Tanios will be laughing and celebrating with his family. Where’s the justice?
A total of 44-46 syllables for the entire poem. The first line of the Sijo usually sets the theme. The second line elaborates on the first line. The third line brings the poem matter to a close.
***
thinking it over and deciding, showing pride is essential
these days easy and frequent demeaning words are heard, do not hide
defeat their supposed ideas, by standing up to show your esteem
Let’s go with SOMETHING HIDDEN this week. Maybe it’s an inside secret or an outside treasure of sorts. Go where the prompt takes you!
***
I keep it hidden, pain that comes from sitting in a wheelchair. I used to be on high doses of pain meds and then had to stop. The rest of my body health was deteriorating. Oddly, an accident seven years ago seemed to reduce it but now it’s returning.
What country do you live in? How many televisions do you have in your home? On average, how many hours a day do you watch TV? What kinds of programs do you typically watch (e.g., news, sports, movies, dramas, sitcoms, reality shows)? Do you watch programs as they are aired or do you record them and watch them at other times? Do you mostly watch “network” TV? Premium cable channels (e.g., HBO, Showtime)? Streaming channels (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple+)? How often, if at all, do you use other devices than television (e.g., computers, smartphones) to watch programs
1. I live in the Western United States
2. I have one in the living room
3. Two to four hours some days, some days none
4. Dramas and Movies
5. I don’t have a recorder
6. I watch PBS dramas/specials, not regular networks
7. I have Netflix and Prime and some others gifted or shared to me
8. I used my iPad when my old tv stopped working. Now, never.
Most networks have commercials which I hate so don’t watch “regular” television. Usually I watch one movie in the evening on a streaming network.
“Have you ever watched a rose as it fades away; the color becomes deeper as the petals dry. That’s how my love for you deepens as the days go by.” Unknown
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