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Winter Snows

A chocolate bagel and hot drink on a round wooden board with coffee beans on it. — Photo by Sofiya Levchenko on Unsplash

“You can’t go out like that,” yelled Rebecca from the doorway as I was heading out.

It was late fall. The air had turned crisp and the leaves began their descent to cover lawns, roadways and forest floors.

“I shalln’t be gone long.”

“Shalln’t? Going on an adventure Mr. Frodo?” she said mockingly.

I just smiled and touched the side of my nose.

It was not yesterday I learned to know the love of bare November days. Before the coming of snow and grey skies. You had to take the opportunities when you could for a walk about especially when you had advanced in age.

I met with Mildred at the corner of Bartlett Street downtown. We walked together to get pastries and hot chocolate. It was the last time we would have these walks and shared time together before the winter snows came.

This is for a dVerse prompt: Write a piece of flash fiction (NOT a poem) of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line in the order in which it has been given. You may add or change punctuation, but you may not add words in between the given ones.

The line:
“Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow”

The line made me think of endings. And I wrote this to have a complete story to contribute.

I had earlier written the piece below.

Cold November Days

It was not yesterday I learned to know the love of bare November days. Before the coming of snow and the loss of leaves. As a child in Miami when November days could still be filled with visits to the beach and bikinis, moving to Rochester, NY was more than culture shock, it was culture electrocution. I was here to get my PhD, a piece of paper that would put MD at the end of my name. Could I be the doctor to heal my broken life? That remained to be seen. Being a single mother, a student and broke weren’t helping in the healing process but temporary pain for longer term gain was the plan. Being a parent was a bright spot. He was how I learned to love cold Rochester November days. He was able to adapt and thrive in the cold.

This idea for this writing came from parts of my past, I lived in Rochester while my mom was a student there. Though not autobiographical it does take it’s general theme from that time.

Each post is 144 words and incorporates the prompt line.

Whirly Twirly

Background Photo by Logan Voss on Unsplash. Top Image by Werner Weisser from Pixabay

           Whirly twirly little spin
         Round and round it goes again
          Where it stops I don’t know
             Why the whirly thing goes
           In the direction it does
      I don’t know the reason for it’s cause
   Causation situation a whirlpool of cessation 
              Just likes to spin

This was for a dVerse prompt – Just pen us a poem of precisely 44 words, not counting the title, and using some form of the word whirl.

It started out as a couplet then kind of spun out of control, which kind of rather fit the theme of whirl so I just went with it. 😁 Hope you enjoy!

A Random Kind of Love

Image by Rupert Kittinger-Sereinig from Pixabay

I spoke to you with words unspoken.
You replied in tears, wet and full of meaning.
I pulled you into my arms to hold your face to my chest.
You screamed and melted into my embrace.
Our arms around each other, heartbeats separated by time & space.
I looked into your eyes and lost myself.
You looked into my heart and found your home.
I wanted you as mine.
You wanted to be wanted for who you are.
Our desire only for each other was for purely selfish reasons.
I am yours until the day you kick me out.
You are mine until the day I look beyond your face.
Ours is a love that will stand the test of time yet kneel on a random bathroom floor.

cover of After All is Said ... A couple walking away from each other the guy looking towards the woman

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Where the Wolf?

I transform in the presence of her full moon
Howl like a wild animal
I’ll be back on my knees soon
The only thing that is sensible
Though some think it terrible
The transformed beast I become
I never worry about the thoughts of the sum
There is only one for whom I yearn
Heavenly cherubim
My moonlit angel for whom I turn 


Furry little puppy dog
Frightening not in the least
Fury little puppy dog
Is a furry little beast
Passion released
Scratch behind his ears
Nothing to your fears
He’s a good boy
When his human side disappears
My big furry bundle of joy

This is for a dVerse prompt: Write a dizain poem following the structure as described [above]. You can choose any theme of your choice.

The dizain is a 10-line French poetic form, traditionally composed of a single stanza. It follows a strict rhyme scheme of ABABBCCDCD and typically uses 10 syllables per line.

I wrote two dizain poems with a theme of werewolves to round out this 2025 Halloween season. Though I did not adhere to the 10 syllables per line. Hope you enjoy!

All Hollow Eve’s Summer Camp

We are the ones that dwell within. The light that shines, the spark from a grin. Here’s Johnny, all smiles and hellos. Such a cheery fellow, that’s how it goes. They’re here to be thrilled, just like last summer. We know what you did as you laughed and played. Splashed and frolicked on hot ocean days. We’re gonna need a bigger boat for all our friends to join. Help me welcome them, help me open my arms, we’re all human beings, together as one. Thrill me with your generosity, trust is a hard thing to come by these days. We all go a little mad sometimes but every dawn is a new day. So welcome to the bright days of summer camp and whatever you do, don’t fall asleep, before having some fun!

This is a prompt from dVerse: “For today’s prompt, I’d like us to throw some light on these lines and take them a different direction. I have compiled a list of some fright flick quotes below and attempted to avoid anything overly gory. Your mission is to choose one as the FIRST line of your poem.”

Not only is a horror movie line my first line there are several throughout the poem. Hope you enjoy! It’s frightening how fun it can be. hehe 😁

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Dead Two

The chill of my heart
Never warm nor ever warmed
Zombie love risen

Ice queen. Frozen. Dead lay. Little did they know how dead I was.

“Why are you so distant?” asks Debbie, one of the few who dares to try to get close. “I think he likes you, or maybe could like you if you’d let him.”

“Meh.”

“Don’t meh me, Shinda. I know you’re not as heartless as you appear.”

Heartless? No. I have a heart. Broken. Useless. But it is there in my chest. A lump, sitting motionless in a stagnant pond.

“I don’t think so, Deb. Besides, I’m not into him.”

“He’s the only boy you’ve said more than two words to.”

“I’ve talked to other boys.”

“To bite their heads off or cuss them out. You like him, hell you tolerate him which is even more impressive. Talk to him, have an actual conversation. Ask him to the Halloween dance.”

“Mmrr.”

“I’m going to bring him over here. Talk to him!”

Debbie made a face and pointed as she walked over to Anim. She walked back with Anim, pulling him by the hand.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

“Well, I can see you two are just going to talk, talk, talk. I’m going to go,” said Debbie.

‘Talk to him’ she mimed to me as she walked away.

“Ummm,” I said.

“Yeah,” he said.

He looked around and then pulled up his shirt. There was a hole in his chest, right about where his heart would have been.

“I’m a zombie too.”

This was for a dVerse prompt: Write a Halloween Halibun. Hope you enjoy!

Blood Sucker

Sharp of tongue, sharp of teeth
Little vampiress, with a hunger big
Hungers for me; her on top, me underneath
Moans and screams like of a stuck pig

Drain me of fluid when in your mouth you suck
Be it white or red
Whether oral or penetration we fuck
My life is in yours until we’re dead

Your hunger for blood
Is your desperate need
Your body I’ll flood
We both have desires to feed

They call you blood sucker
I call you my lover

Woman in black and white holding a rose in color with a rose on its side underneath

Seduced by Seduction
40 poems about seduction

What are people saying?

“This collection of sensual poems will leave you wanting more.”
“shows us the words to seduce our partner without ever touching”

What will you be saying after you read it? 🧐
Get Seduced by Seduction books2read.com/u/mddqXw

Halloween Reads!

Looking for something a little spooky, or dark, or scary? Check out the stories and poems below. Ghoulishly good!

Stories

Poems

Picking Up A Hooker – Micro fiction about what happens when a man picks up a hooker and things go wrong. Very wrong.

A Goth Mermaid Tale – A prose poem about a man’s attempt to woo a goth mermaid. Does he win her over or does he just go overboard?

Stars hitting the ground

The spark from Sprinklers
Showers of stars
Falling down my fingers
Landing on the ground
To extinguish like the passing of millenia 

For even as light triumphs
Darkness waits
For when the time light is extinguished
And Sparklers run out
Stars hitting the ground

This is for a dVerse prompt: I am sure you must have guessed, the prompt for today is sparklers. … Give us a sparkling verse of 44 words only. Hope you enjoy!

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Headless Horseman

T’was without a head
Most likely dead
Upon a horse he sat

Throughout the town
He’d go round
Chasing children no head nor hat

His horse was black
Headless upon its back
Dark as midnight sin

Red eyes a glow
Flames his nostrils did blow
Hell’s beast a true kin

Come out to ride
On one special night to bide
Collecting naughty children

He’d ride through the town
Going to and fro, up and down
Snatching up brats for his cauldron

Oh mothers would cry
And fathers would try 
For their naughty offspring to bring back

But the horseman would come 
A face he’d wear that would chill some
For upon his shoulders, was the head the child would now lack

So be good dear children on this night
Or be prepared for an awful fright
A horseman without a head will come your way

But if you’re good
As you well should
Candy you’ll receive and home you’ll stay

This originally was for a dVerse prompt but this took too long. Originally I started it and didn’t know where I was going with it, then I didn’t like the direction it was going and then finally went with it and here it is. Enjoy!

A Taste of Stew

A collection of poems from seductive and spicy to thoughtful and observant. 39 poems from the AuthorStew blog and scattered across the Internet gathered together in this chapbook collection. Something for everyone and every mood. We’re sure there is something within this collection to delight you.

Buy it on Amazon or your favorite bookseller. Click here: books2read.com/u/bzxzjj