Common Threads

 

Pen sills for skewell! 

“Pen sills for skewell!”

Her voice held fake excitement.

Santa got it wrong. 

 

1865

MDCCCLXV

New York Stock Exchange opens on Wall Street

     will they cancel student loan debt?

Thirteenth Amendment passes

     break these chains! 

Civil War ends

     freedom is a relative concept 

Abraham Lincoln assassinated 

     a shot in the dark: squeeze a turnip

Sultana sinks in the Mississippi

     neck deep in the muck: IBD

young Jumbo arrives at London Zoo

     neck wide in the glands: 

                       hypothyroidism

Alice in Wonderland published 

     is there even a key within reach?

Wild Bill Hickok starts first western showdown 

     the world is going straight to hell

Brother Jonathan sinks off CA coast

     yes, plummeting down the rabbit hole like Alice 

SS Republic sinks off GA coast

     or are we already there?

 

And now, 1866

MDCCCLXVI

     I was 100 years away

no full moon in February

     promises made, promises broken

Civil Rights Act passed and vetoed 

     Covid numbers rise: a dark world 

total lunar eclipse 

     Fitz and Boo oblivious 

ASPCA founded, NYC

     Christmas shopping mostly done 

Nickel replaces the half-dime

     one count rises, another falls

Metric Act standardizes measurement

     even Christmas spirit wears a mask

dynamite invented in Germany 

 

Chris Baron, professor of English at San Diego City College and author of All of Me and The Magical Imperfect, hosted my writing group today and inspired us to write A Before Picture verse. My mother left us in December 29, 2015, and today my verse is about her. 

before and now

before

we silently sucked our teeth
when she
told us to buckle up

we secretly rolled our eyes
when she
told us to lock our doors

we soundlessly steamed at the ears
when she
told us to slow down
(“they sit right up here, you know”)

and covertly clenched our fists
when she
told us to turn it down

now

we hear her voice
echoing through the years
transcending dimensions

and through our blurry tears

we buckle up
we lock up
we slow it down
we turn it down

and wish
she were here
to right our world again

Today’s prompt inspired us to map our voices.  I took today’s date and broke it apart into two years of history and mirrored events. 

Then and Now

1215/MCCXV 

2020/MMXX

King John Forced to sign the Magna Carta

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor police murders

King John rejects Magna Carta: First Barons’ War

COVID-19 pandemic sweeps worldwide

Pope Innocent III declares Magna Carta invalid

Harry and Megan opt out of royalty

Genghis Khan’s Mongols torch Beijing: month-long burn

Australian brushfires kill 47 million acres

Fourth Lateran council defines transubstantiation doctrine

Beirut erupts in explosions

The Dominican Order is founded

Murder hornets arrive

The Macy Jug is made

Beloved world legends die

Then and now: the promise of hope is found in a manger in Bethlehem

 

Alarm

Get up!

Get going!

Get out!

Move it! 

Asleep to awake

Horizontal to vertical

Dreams to reality

Sheets to shower

Time to money 

Money to “living”

Living to surviving

Freedom to ownership 

Snooze is not an option 

Get up! 

Get going!

Get out!

Move it! 

 

1885

     weekend camping at FDR- site 104

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

     IBD simmering, no full-fledged flare there

Good Housekeeping debut issue

     picnic atop the mountain

First Motorcycle – Gottleib Daimler

     fireside gift: starter brick flame

Salvation Army organized

     Christmas music on the Jensen

Boston Pops formed

     recharging our batteries

Statue of Liberty arrives in NYC

     Flat tire: changed to spare 

 

First cafeteria opens in NYC

     antenna raised – local channels!

Georgia Tech founded – ATL

     when’s the next trip?

 Today’s writing prompt came from Jennifer Jowett, who inspired us to write in any style verse on the theme of traveling. 

Camping Haiku

enjoy the journey
(engraved sign in my camper)
girl seeks adventure!

 Today’s challenge from Jennifer Jowett: write a poem using titles of works. I chose the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr and used all 21 titles, but not in sequence. I have to find out who pulled the trigger. 

A Virgin River Christmas

‘Tis the Season on Netflix
Virgin River: ALL THE RAGE!
My Kind of Christmas:
lusty indulgences of Forbidden Falls
a Hidden Summit of thrills!
out by the Whispering Rock
under the Harvest Moon
on the Moonlight Road
to Temptation Ridge
ripe for a Moonlight Kiss
I read on in this Paradise Valley
down along Redwood Bend
along the banks of Wild Man Creek
to the depths of Promise Canyon
up Shelter Mountain
over Second Chance Pass
scaling onward beyond Angel’s Peak
to the climax of Sunrise Point
That Holiday Feeling rising like the sun
all day waiting to Return to Virgin River
Bring Me Home for Christmas –
a Virgin River Christmas!

1890?

MDCCCXC?

Russia: Sleeping Beauty premieres at the Imperial Mariinsky

     I got all the way dressed too soon

Nelly Bly completes her mission

     Warm Springs: F D Roosevelt weekend

Strikes for 8-hour workday begin

     Can I sneak out early to pack?

The Picture of Dorian Gray published

     2:30: And Then There Were None committee 

Death of Vincent Van Gogh

    

     The Beatles Legos still sold out

Washington, DC: DAR founded

     Marilyn Monroe Legos in stock

South Dakota: Wounded Knee Massacre

     Dehydration:  dark eye bags diminishing