We did it, my friends! We reached the completion of this inaugural 7-week writing challenge!!!!!!
Though the challenge has come to its end, keep up the momentum. Perhaps you discovered a new genre you’d like to pursue further. Maybe you started a new story that’s taking you to unexpected places. If you need to go back to any of the weekly prompts, they will remain posted for you to download.
Thanks to all who participated, whether you chose to share your work or keep it close. I didn’t succeed with my writing goals each week, but I am reinvigorated in my pursuit of current works in progress – like finishing book two in my YA Fantasy trilogy. 😉
I close by sharing the work submitted for Week 7’s prompt…
NOW – a poem by Laurie Hong
Rockets whiz by fast
Children run under tables
As a rose opens
MEMORIAL DAY 2021 – a poem by A.L. Dowdell
It’s just a minor holiday, you say-
a time for family picnics in the park
or an extended weekend at the beach-
weather permitting-of course.
You say nothing of the men and women
from this country who fought for your freedom-
countless lives lost in service to their country.
You don’t mention the blood they shed or
the sacrifices they made
on the beaches of Normandy or in
the desert of Iraq.
It’s just another day to you-
A day off from work and one day
closer to your summer vacation.
But to the mothers who lost their sons and daughters in conflict,
to the soldiers who are currently deployed
and to their families, today is more than a mark on a calendar.
CARRYING ON THE MEMORIES PASSED
by Kelly Deeny
On this Memorial Day 2021, my thoughts turn to my Uncle Frank. What if Frank never joined the Army, never got sent to Vietnam, never died in a bombing less than two weeks later. What if he’d lived to see his daughter grow up? Would his parents be able to rectify their fragile marriage instead of the irreparable damage done after his death? Would my father’s life journey veered onto an alternate course – would he have met my mother, still pondered life’s big questions, or sought spiritual answers in the midst of chaos?
I’m fascinated by time-travel stories – by going back and witnessing history in its present. However, I never like it when those stories lead to history being changed when the observers become history’s editors. Are there moments in history that I wonder if I’d change if I could? Yes, yes, I absolutely would! I’d take a bullet for Honest Abe or MLK Jr. I’d wave a magic wand to unchain all the slaves from bondage or be a station agent on the underground railroad. No matter how much I wish I could change the past, I can’t go back in time – only forward, carrying with me the knowledge and truth of the history in which my ancestors lived. I can learn, bear witness, and seek reparations for those harmed by the actions (or inactions) of those who came before.
What’s passed is past. We can look back and move forward acknowledging the pain and struggle endured while resolving to create a future story we’d be proud to share. We mourn the loss of those gone in horrific, sudden, and violent ways – wishing we could undue what was done and take away their pain. My uncle’s life ended at the young age of eighteen, killed in a bombing while serving his country. I can’t erase the grief suffered by his family, but I can learn to appreciate the time I have with those I love. I can learn his story and those of others with whom he served to carry on the memories outside of war.
I often wonder now that I’ve reached “middle age” how my life could’ve been quite different had but one moment in my history changed. Any one moment in my ancestors’ past could have altered my own journey. My spirit may have chosen a different time and body in which to experience this life, an alternate family or experience from which to grow. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “ifs” that you fail to recognize the “what is”.
Kelly Deeny 