The "Fifties"

#90 - I've never gone this fast down Breakneck Grade, -

Welcome to Before I Forget . .

- I’m glad you are here.  

The “Fifties” 

Justin Deming writes the fine Substack called Along the Hudson. I know a good read is at hand when I receive his posts.  

And every other Friday, Justin offers - Fifties by the Fire - a challenge to his subscribers and writer friends - a fifty-word, prompt-based, writing challenge.  

Justin provides the prompt, a word or picture, and we provide the stories, either fiction, CNF, or a poem, - in exactly 50 words. 

Here are five stories I’ve contributed. It’s trickier than I would have thought before trying to do one myself.  

Do take some time to discover terrific writers and their stories at the date and prompt links provided. It is amazing the points of view folks can take on the same prompt. 

Thank you, Justin! 

#1

9/1/23 - Prompt - “You and I”  

You and I, poetry -

You and I can change the world if we could just get out of our own way. 

With You and Yours and Me and Mine the world will open up to find 

That what's wrong has come from Us Alone and We Alone can make it right. 

You and I. 

#2 

9/15/23 - Prompt - “The Bullet” 

Like the Shinkansen. Fiction -

"Man. I'm flying!" The guardrail's a blur. It looks like the Shinkansen. 

I've never gone this fast down Breakneck Grade, even in my car, 

much less on my toboggan skateboard, at night. 

I should watch the road, and slow down, maybe even bail out. 

No. I got this! - "Uh👀Oh!?%#&^@@#" 

#3 

9/29/23 - Prompt - “The Passage of Time” 

The Passage of Time, CNF -

It will be a significant passage of time that passes before I forget . . 

Kamala Harris's take on the significance of the passage of time. 

I may never forget its significance. 

Significantly, today is but time passed from yesterday and tomorrow's time is already cast. 

Unless I can break the die. 

#4 

10/29/23 - Prompt - “of the Horror Genre” 

"Beware" - fiction -

He never knows which one he'll get. The one with the kind face and happy eyes or the one with raging eyes and horror on his face. The one smiling at him or the one who would tear him apart if he only could. - Beware the man in the mirror. 

#5  

11/17/23 - Prompt - the word “Gather” 

You Are Gathered Here Now, CNF -

"You've gone out on foot to the far places, the ends of the earth, the four corners of the world from which the winds blow. You are gathered here now in machines that make time and space your servant. 

'Good job! Take the rest of the week off - Happy Thanksgiving!'" 

I hope you enjoyed these 50-worders! 

I’m catching up on sleep and getting caught up with my email. I got online twice while away and began deleting the accumulating junk mail.  

Other than that, I had a splendid couple of weeks away from the routine, and the internet. 

I’m also catching up on my subscriptions reading. 

I’m finding it difficult, or perhaps I’m not yet willing, to get back into the swing of things. There will be exercise involved.  

And until a couple of evening ago, there was the uncertainty of the time my jury duty would take.  

I’ve been excused from duty. Ha! I’m so glad.  

It wasn’t the jury duty per se. Adding jury duty to the rest of what is going on is stretch and it would have been a 20-mile drive through the morning commute, perhaps the evening one as well.  

I did serve on a jury. Only once before. It was in Oakland, at the State Court and took but four days to decide, which was fortunate as it could have taken a lot longer. At the time, I had the time to participate. 

The other times I’ve been called, I got a one-time extention, and/or was no longer needed, or, when deciding on jury members, “they” were convinced that I wouldn’t serve their purposes so was excused from duty. : ) 

Anyway, that’s done for now. Things can get back to what I call normal. 

I’m glad to be back. 

Thank you for reading Before I Forget . .   

Please leave a Comment. I much appreciate it! 

For my newer Subscribers - an earlier post from Aug 4, 2023 - 

More posts for your perusal are in my archive. Check them out! 

Image by Gerd Altman from Pixabay 

See you next time, my friends.  : )