Writing

Slim Pickin’s

Aside ~ ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 4 Comments

“Well, now, won’t that be a treat,” he muttered under his breath no no one in particular after Nester Johnson’s wife handed him an invite to her annual Hogs and Heifers party, turned and walked away with a little backwards glance and a coral-colored-lipsticked air kiss.

While he thoroughly felt compassion for her seeing as how she was married to one of the most foul men he’d met so far in this Godforsaken town, there was nothing short of J Lo or Madonna being headliner at the party that would ever make him willingly choose to attend.

And with that, he tossed the invite into the bin, put a fresh toothpick between his teeth and returned to wiping down the bar.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: treat

Thawed Out

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“I’m sorry, sir, but we have no reservation under that name,” she said in a put-on pseudo-British accent to no one in particular just as the timer on the microwave turned over to zero and made its angry announcement that her TV dinner was heated through.

“You’ll have to make other arrangements for this evening’s repast.”

And with that, she delivered her meal with a sly, self-satisfied smile and a flourish to the folding tray at the Laz E boy recliner in front of the TV, eager to return to her beloved The Price is Right reruns.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: reservation

To the Grave

Aside ~ ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 1 Comment

“I will never confess it,” she said to no one in particular as she put the secret ingredient into her famous Texas Candy recipe.

Many had tried to guess what it was; many had pressed her hard to tell.

She knew they’d never figure it out, and with that, she smiled a little self-satisfied smile and set them out to cool.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: confess

No Trace

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“Hmmph,” she said to no one in particular as was her proclivity as she looked down at the lipstick mark her lips made after the first sip of her first cup of coffee of the day.

With a little too much force, she wiped away every trace of Eldorado Red from the rim of her cup before taking the next sip.

And thus began her morning routine, sipping, swiping and then sipping again, which oddly gave her a feeling of extreme self-satisfaction every time.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: proclivity

The Post

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“It’s frigging miraculous,” she said to no one in particular as she spied and then finally recovered the tiny silver backing of her left faux diamond stud earring from under the refrigerator using a straightened wire hanger with a piece of well-chewed gum stuck to its end.

She stuck it back on its post before dusting off the lint that had stuck to the knees of her velour pantsuit during her search.

And with that, she returned to Judge Judy reruns with a renewed sense of hope for the world.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: marvelous

Social Graces

Aside ~ ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 5 Comments

“If it’s not one thing, it is another!” she muttered under her breath to no one in particular, as she walked away after attempting to relate to the newly voted in President of the Women’s League, whose ensuing torrent of complaints just about set off one of her famous migraines.

Fortunately, she had felt it coming on and so had smiled the polite smile she was known for and excused herself, citing a sudden powerful need to powder her nose.

She passed by the door to the Ladies, making a beeline for the tray of drinks that was just a few feet ahead, ever-grateful for her social survival instincts: that one wouldn’t be in office long, the thought to herself, and with that, she smiled a very self-satisfied smile and took a first, very long, sip of mint julep.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: relate

Caffeine Nirvana

Aside ~ ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 1 Comment

“Fuck bliss!” she said to no one in particular as she stood up from the rather bedraggled towel she used as a makeshift meditation mat, turned on her 70’s rock Spotify playlist with the volume set up super loud, and poured herself a cup of the high octane coffee that had been gurgling and spitting as it brewed during her latest attempt at discovering her true dharma.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: bliss

 

Blank Page

Aside ~ ~ Beyond the Skinny Branches ~ 3 Comments

The legend of me

Changes daily

Sometimes hourly

Sometimes rooted in the past

Sometimes projected into the future

Sometimes whispered, often shouted

I have allowed ghostwriters

Free reign for far too long

Time to write my own story

I know it best, after all

Gonna get quiet and listen

For the voice that is my own

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: legend

A Fine Pour

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There was an elegance to the way she poured coffee, a slight turn of her wrist that turned the stream just so as it finished filling the cup.

It was subtle – even she wasn’t aware of this remnant of her former life – and it did not register for most, but a discerning eye such as his now and then caught it.

And for the slightest of instants, the diner was transformed into a four star hotel, and the coffee, a fine Bordeaux.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: elegance

Color Guard

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“Don’t varnish the truth, darling,” she said to no one in particular as she resolutely declined to add more lipstick color to her lips. She could plainly see the little telltale lines above her upper lip and the way the bright red color she had favored in her youth now bled off into the tiny trenches, and with that, she was done with reds. It would be pinks and faint corals from now on, until the day when even those colors would need to be retired.

Inspired by The Daily Post Daily Word Prompt: varnish