She took another sip of soda from the plastic cup, cursing as the noisy slurp signified that its contents were now empty. Tossing it towards the garbage can - it missed by a mile - she stood, her gaze drifting towards the organized chaos in the next room. Vendors of comic and graphic novels hawked their wares to wide-eyed fan boys and girls. The latest video games, from Japan, flashed in bright colors (just about enough to give one a seizure) on huge flat screen panels set up around th... [More]

Prompt: Write a poem or story entitled Chocolate Kisses Winning Entry 04/08/06 _______________________________ We argued again this morning and I have the scars to prove it. Wincing softly, I rub the flesh-toned bandage on my cheek, sighing as I remember the blood that flowed from the cut earlier in the day. She had thrown a bottle of perfume at me, something I had gotten for her on her birthday two months ago. The heavy smell of roses had permeated the air as it shattered into ... [More]

Written for the Contest Prompt: Apathy _____________ Push aside the curtain of torrid sandstorms, revealing faces behind veils, the bearded ones, innocent visages of children running past men with rifles. Hollers, screams, cries of terror. Gunshots. An occasional explosion rips through the air. A bloodbath unlike anything we have ever seen. There are bodies now, sprawled all over the streets like a grotesque work of art. There are the wailing women over their dead husbands, the sobbi... [More]

Written for Prompt: Write a story or poem containing an umbrella, a thunderstorm, and a lost child. _______________________________ “So you’re lost?” I ask with no real interest, wondering if Stevie will show up sometime soon. The once light drizzle is now a full fledged thunderstorm, and my pathetic shelter beneath this green awning isn’t helping much. I could have waited in the car, but -- A sniffle, and I stare at the girl clutching the hem of my dress now, while swallowing the bit... [More]

Written for the: Prompt: Write a collage poem, a "found" poem in which you reassemble words and phrases you find in the world around you, making new sense for yourself. _________________________ Behind the velvet rope Pro games played for the people Delivering confirmation With extra care and trust Beneath Africa’s sun __________________________ Notes: I have lived in Africa, and know first hand of the way some people in power tend to extort money from the masse... [More]

Written for the: Prompt: For this prompt, make a sign your starting place -- and title -- of a STORY or POEM. ________________________ PRIVATE RESIDENCE it said in chipped white paint on weathered wood. Bonnie watched it swing lightly in the wind, the slow creaking sound it made beginning to grate on her nerves as she waited for Jake to get out of the car. There was something about this place she didn’t like. Perhaps it was the quiet – too quiet in her opinion. They had left the highway... [More]

Prompt: Write a story about the future in which laser labels (which tell us information about the products we purchase) are commonplace. Winning Entry: 02/19/06 ________________ “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked for the umpteenth time. Again, she trained a smile at him – a weak one - but a smile nonetheless. She felt anything but okay. Her tongue felt dry and heavy within her mouth, her lips chapped as she did her best to lick them at various intervals. Her throat felt pa... [More]

Written for the: Prompt: Write a POEM with "Independence" as the theme. It can be about Fourth of July, OR about Independence in general. _____________ On the Fourth of July, when all is so grand I wake up and get ready for a day on the sand Mommy and Daddy take forever to pack us a picnic And it’s all I can do not to get into a panic The drive to the beach is a lovely sight to see The red, white and blue as bright as can be On every lawn, gate and home that we pass ... [More]

Prompt: Write a poem or story that includes the names of three African animals. (You can study them at the zoo, notice them in a book, go on a real safari, find them in your child's toybox, or . . .) Honorable Mention Entry for 04/15/06 _____________________________ I was only eight years old when my grandmother allowed me to travel to the neighboring village of Umeunkule with her. She had to prepare for the next market day and to get a good spot in the square; she’d have to ... [More]

Prompt: Write a story about the worst date ever. ___________________________ Tonight’s going to be the big night. The night when I finally become a man. I check the mirror for the one-millionth time, grinning at my reflection. I’m clean-shaven, don’t smell like wet socks, and my breath’s minty-fresh thanks to several sticks of Doublemint bubblegum. I sniff my armpits quickly, nod in satisfaction and step out of my Dad’s borrowed BMW to make my way to my date’s front door. I know I ... [More]

Prompt: You just discovered that your valuable ring must have fallen into the trash when you were loading the can. The garbage men came a few minutes ago. What do you do? Write a story or poem about your day. Winning Entry 01/29/06 __________________ I give a dreamy sigh and hold out my hand, turning it this way and that to make sure the light catches the object on my finger. I fight the urge to squeal in delight as the tiny diamond sparkles brilliantly, now knowing that Michael’s... [More]

Prompt: It has been a long time, but you are finally going back to see your childhood hometown. What is different? (What secret do you learn?) Who do you run into? What happens? Write a story or poem about your discoveries. Runner up Entry 01/15/06 ____________ “Eeeeek! I don’t believe it! Is that really you?! Oh my goodness! You look… womanly! ” Sarah Hill reaches for my hands and grasps them tightly, moving closer until her big blue eyes are the only things I can see. I flush and... [More]

Word Count: 303 Prompts: a sparrow, a madam's hat, a dog Winning Entry for 01/04/06 __________ It’s funny how things look so much clearer while faced with the most devastating news of all. “I think you’re a very nice girl.” There’s a brown sparrow dipping its beak into a plate filled with bread crumbs, remnants of a patron’s hasty snack or lunch. However its meal is short-lived for a waiter appears to chase him away. Poor thing. “I mean…it’s not like we didn’t have f... [More]

Written for the Prompt: You might just have met Mr./Ms. Right – at least you think so. Your only hesitation is that he/she likes to talk about snakes. Then on Saturday evening when you walk into his/her living room for the first time, you discover . . . ____________ Dear Mother, I think I have just found the most perfect guy. His name is Jason Sweeny and he’s a professor at the local university. We met a few months ago at a seminar being held for the Young Scientists of America. ... [More]

Prompt: It’s finally happened – first contact. Tell in a poem or story what happened when the first alien/aliens touched base with humans. Entry for 04/22/05 ____________________________ Mary Jo hummed softly to herself as she chopped the vegetables for dinner. The lovely countryside she had called home for the past month was a wonderful get-away from the city with all its hustle and bustle, and although the nearest shopping center was about ten miles away, her only daughter – sixtee... [More]