Jan 26 2009
Word Shot – 26 January, 2009
I loved the submissions for last week’s Word Shot, few though they were. (Check out what Tombo wrote. It should make you laugh out loud. Glanda’s might startle you with a O’Henry-like twist at the end, and Tim’s is a pleasure to read. Good for all of you!) You can read these comments here.
Okay – on to yet another Word Shot … another opportunity to give your writing skills and imagination a good workout. Here’s the image:
As you probably know by now, here’s what you do: Look at the photo (really look at it), then think about it, then write down what comes to your mind. Submit that as a comment to this post. You can submit anything from a single word to a full story. And if you participate in 10 Word Shots, I’ll e-mail you my three e-manuals on writing.
Though there are no rules to this, here’s a tip: Ask yourself obvious questions, then answer them in non-obvious ways. For example, obvious questions for this photo would be, “Why are these people lined up? What are they waiting for?” Obvious answers might include, “They’re lined up to sign up for a race, or to buy tickets to an event or ride in the park.”
Those are boring answers. Stretch your imagination as come up with answers that are not obvious. For example, your answer might be that these young people are waiting to board a time-travel module because each desperately needs to escape a particular problem in his or her life. Such an answer could be the premise of an entire book.
Take a shot at this one. What can you come up with? Even if it’s just a word or a phrase, we’d all like to hear from you.
Parents used to send their troubled teens to ‘boot camps.’ With the rise in population though, these camps were quickly replaced by a much more direct method.
Firing squads.
My mouth was dry, and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth for a second.
I tried to talk and nothing came out. I looked at them, stalling a bit for time.
The redhead at the back gave me a grin, like it was okay. I thought that was my job.
“Welcome to Outward Bound,” I blurted. “I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun and learn a lot. My name’s John.”
Much better.
Here’s the way we do this kids. Everyone over the age of thirty or under the age of fifteen, that has not been involved in the commission of a crime and is still in school has already gone. We have tried many methods in the past and this is the one that works for us.
I want everyone in this line who is not a high school drop out to step forward.
The rest of you may wait with the group to my left. Now, of those who are left, how many hold down jobs or are going on to college? Okay you stay in line. The rest wait with the others.
Of those that are still in line, how many have not done drugs or comitted a serious crime? Filching a candy bar or pinching a sibling is not counted as a crime.Murder, theft or laying on the sofa playing games instead of being productive are crimes.
Right. The group still in line may board the ship now. As for the ones not chosen, you will be remaining here to live in the mess you have made of your lives.Goodbye and good luck.
Later on, in the swimsuit portion of the pageant, contestants number two and number four would realize they were in the wrong contest.
I don’t know if the rest of you feel this way, but I’m loving these responses. I can see real growth in the writers who are participating. (Hint to the rest of you.) I find myself telling friends and family members about what some of you have written, which is a definite sign that I’m impressed.
As the illness progressed I lined the kids up in the park where I and their mother first met. Rosanna, the eldest, was in front; Anne-Marie, the youngest, at the back.
I looked at my beautiful offspring, keeping back the tears from my eyes. “Once I’ve gone, I want you to look after each other. Look at your brothers and sisters in front of you. They are your protectors, your closest friends, your guides. Those behind you are the ones you must look after. Never lose each other, never fall out, never give up on each other. Remember, your mother was an amazing woman, even if she is no longer around. Life can be cruel, but, as long as you have each other, you can never go wrong.
I know you will all do well, you will grow to be amazing adults, and parents. I just wish I could be around to see my grandchildren. But I will always be with you in spirit, keep me in your heart and I will live on through you.”
They all gathered around me then, and we wept. Holding onto my children I knew this would be the defining moment of my life, before the cancer took me. I was blessed to have such a wonderful family.
Gloria - Freakin’ hilarious!!!!
Gloria,
As usual too funny. Go girl. May your fame and wit rub off on me.
Down the line we go…..
These are the many faces of the Boricua race. A mixture of white, black and indian. Isn’t it great!
A recent competition investigation into Generation Y Corp’s ‘Mirror of Positive Self-Image’ experience, found that whilst the corporation was innocent of any explicit wrong doing, their failure to inform patrons of alternative metrics could be misleading. The ruling followed initial complaints in spring of ‘08, after Generation Y’s aggressive TV and print ad campaigns sparked outrage with the slogan, “Yes, beauty has standards”.
The corporation was also taken to task on misinformation, after advising queuing customers that they were, at most, just 5 places away from the life-affirming and transforming experience of being “accepted”. In actuality, the report’s sampled cohorts revealed that 100% of those queuing were, unwittingly, more than acceptable–and in fact exceptional–breaking every doctored benchmark the corporation contrived. A statement from a Y Corp spokesman said that “senior management would be reflecting on the investigation’s findings”.
2025: chemist, poet, junkie, lawyer, dead.
These are the people chosen to go to Jupiter. They are in line to get in the space ship. They all have a different talent. Some have apprehension about it, but still want to go.They are about to enter the journey of uncertainty.
5 young teenagers lining up before a game of dodgeball. I was a bit surprice with the these mix of people. They don’t seem compatible, or may I say, they do not seem like your typical goup of friends. Though they share the same determined eyes looking into the camera, there do not seem to be much intimacy of the special bond of friendships between them. Their lining up, posing for the camera; it seems so rigid, so well structured, without the spontaneity between close friends. Probably they are just 5 teenager put together, to form a group for the game. The potential for a heart-warming friendship is there, and I would like to take a picture of these 5 people 1 year down the road in another dodgeball competition.
[Cattle rancher speaking to the group of kids]
“…so what we’re goin’ to do now is get up on these here horses, round up all those cows up over yonder, bring them back to the barn, and remove all them ticks that’ve been latched on my poor ladies since last week.”
…
“Why ya’ll three in the middle don’t seem to be too exited by that?”
Yo, in New York, we have to wait on line for everything, especially nature.
“Zelda,” she said to herself. “Why did they have to name me ‘Zelda’? I’m always at the end of the line.”
Alphabetical is the ONLY right and fair way to arrange lists.
Every Teenager is a candidate for Living but not every teenager takes part. What separates the participants from the wallflowers?
To answer the question, you may look to norms. You may look to your own teenagers, You may look to your pediatrician. But to really answer it, You must look to you.
Are You a Candidate for Living? or are you a Wallflower?
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of going to Disney World for the day.Walt Disney World does an awfully good job at an awful lot of things. But what it does best, I think, is bring out the kid in us all. The goofy kid, The enthusiastic kid, the playful kid, the adventurous kid. And if you’re willing, the uninhibited, free spirited kid. I saw quite a few during the afternoon parade. The song and the scene that struck me most, was “Shake it”. Lots of Disney Characters took part, dancing alongside the float, some of them agilely on stilts even!
That was inspiring for sure, but what I was most inspired by, was a very special young man. He had Downs Syndrome. But You know what? As I watched him,dancing with with abandon, I was smiling from silver hoop earring, to silver hoop earring. What was clear, at first glance was his sense of joy. It made me happy just to observe him, experiencing so much deep-core-level joy. It made me cry, first from happiness, but also from a little sadness, at my own inhibition. It made me wonder, where, along the way I had picked it up, and decided to carry it along, to my detriment.
I guess we pick up inhibition when we pick up fear of disapproval, and fear fear of wondering how we’ll look to others. sadly, we pick up self judgement along the way.
As I watched this young man, who some might pity, I saw a complete lack of inhibition, and a complete state of oneness–with the music, and indeed, with those of us around him, who , by our engaging in his joy, were slowly creeping out of our long overdue shells.
We are all candidates for living, but we’re not all taking part.
If we want our teenagers to take part, then we have to take part ourselves, casting aside our own inhibitions, looking at what’s kept us from engaging with our own joy. We absolutely need to model it ourselves, but also to encourage and support it, in the lives of our teenagers. Because it’s a great big world out there, just bursting with opportunities, just bursting wit Joy.
After all, Wall flowers, rarely get to see the sun,
which is where all of the Disney Parades take place.
Come out and Shake it!
Just try it and see,
You may find, if you look,
It’s the Only way to really Be.
Teresa easily clawed her way to the head of the line again, confident in her abilities. Little did she know that just two spots behind her, behind the perennially second place finisher, Carlos, Danita stood ready to challenge her superiority.
With a sheepish grin, Paquita realized cup size and the colour red do in fact matter.