My Muse Blew a Fuse - 55

Looking for inspiration

in even the most mundane activities,

he was stumped.

A leaf holding for dear life

in spite of the wind twisting it from its branch.

Silver streaks of rain rat-a-tatting on a window,

obscuring the gray monotony beyond the glass.

For want of a 55 he strained his mind and got nothin'.
______________________

This is a Flash Fiction Friday 55
hosted by Mr. Knowitall.
For more 55's pay him a visit -
Mr. Knowitall.
________________________

Or if you want yet another challenge write a Sunday 160.

Like a text message, the Sunday 160 only uses 160 characters (including spaces)
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What The Hell Wednesday - Myspace now has bars

Have you ever run into one of those stories that makes you feel good about yourself. You know, the kind that let's you say "At least I'm not THAT bad off." Well, this is one of them. Seems a young lad in Florida has to have his Myspace access not matter where he is. Makes my blog addiction seem mild.

Teen Burglar's Myspace Gave Him Away

A Florida teen was arrested Sunday evening after deputies found a computer logged onto his Myspace account in a home that had been burglarized, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office says a caretaker for the home on Sugarloaf Key reported the burglary. Preparing to remove hurricane shutters from a door, the caretaker saw someone sitting on the living room couch.

Deputies arriving at the house found no one inside, but they did find a back window open, empty soda and food containers, and some marijuana on a coffee table. The deputies also found a bedroom computer turned on and logged into the Myspace account of Robert Rupp, 18, of Big Coppitt Key, the Sheriff's Office said.

Rupp was found a short time later walking around the neighborhood with two screwdrivers in his pockets. Rupp told a deputy he had been in the house because it was cold outside, authorities said.

Rupp was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools and theft.

How low can you go? Breaking into a home that was boarded up to protect it from a hurricane and living the high life literally like no one was ever going to come back. But back to my original reason for picking this story for my WTHW - Granted, I spend time reading and writing blogs. To the point that Mrs. MM says I should get a life. Just because she has one, doesn't mean that I should be forced to get one too.

This is where I can say "See! At least I don't break into houses to use their computers because I can't be away from Blogger for more than a few hours at a time. There are people out there with much worse problems.....really!" I know, she won't go for it, but it's worth a try don't you think? Okay, now I'm just trying to convince myself. So back to young Mr. Rupp.

I just love how he figures he's got a few days or so to make himself at home. Smoke a little weed. Eat some free food. Make use of free internet. Life was looking pretty good. Then....Creak....Thud....Bang....plywood comes off the covered windows and it's back to looking for another place to "get out of the cold". Cold!?! In Florida? What does that mean....65 degrees?

Jeez, fella, put on a pair of long pants and suck it up. Go to the library. Log on to Myspace and stay our of jail. Than again, there is no free food or smoking in the library. What a dope. He left the computer on to his Myspace page AND he forgot his pot. Bet he didn't even leave a thank you note.

One thing is certain. As police showed up and young Robert Rupp jumped out the back window, he was thinking to himself "What the Hell?"

One Shot - Starting Over

The cold penetrated his skin
with the shocking chill
of immersion in ice water.
Eyes squinting
to keep light
from making a new day reality,
he stumbled across the room
and brushed back
the heavy fabric curtains.
Through the cloud of dust
that exploded between him
and the window
he could see
only an oppressive gray sky
crashing with the weight of depression
down upon the world.
Shivering in disbelief,
he shuffled back toward the warm
inviting blankets of his bed
and thrust himself back in his cocoon
hoping if he tried again later
his world would change.
________________________

Follow this link for more One Shot Wednesday poems.

Sunday 160 - Apparition?

When she opened the door
a blur rushed into the room.
“Don’t let the dog in”, he said.
“I didn’t,” she replied.
He looked about.
The dog was nowhere to be seen.
_____________________

For the original Sunday 160 post click here.
If you wish to take the challenge, here is a quick look at the rules:

1. The Sunday 160 only uses 160 characters (including spaces).
2. Keep on schedule - post Sunday.
3. Let me know you have posted via a comment on my site.
4. Visit at least one other Sunday 160.
____________________

Friday night I was standing at the side of my bed talking to my wife. Our seventeen year old daughter opened the bedroom door and I saw blur of color come around the end of the bed and past my legs. Since it was only in the periphery of my vision, I thought it was our dog. When I looked down, nothing was there. I asked my daughter and wife if they saw the image. Both said yes. My daughter is convinced it is the ghost of one of our old dogs, but we did have an alter honoring my mother on All Souls Day...Do ya think?

Flash Fiction 55 - Hidden

Adrenaline shot through his body

and he ran faster than he ever imagined possible.

When he thought he was safely away,

he hid himself.

His heart pounding like a heavy bass drum,

he thought its very sound

might allow him to be discovered.

He waited patiently for the cry of surrender:

“Ally Ally Oxen Free”.

______________________

This is a Flash Fiction Friday 55
hosted by Mr. Knowitall.
For more 55's pay him a visit -
Mr. Knowitall.
________________________

Or if you want yet another challenge write a Sunday 160.

Like a text message, the Sunday 160 only uses 160 characters (including spaces)
Keep on schedule - post Sunday
Let me know you have posted via a comment on my site
Visit at least one other Sunday 160

One Shot Wednesday - Spirit Keeper

Shadows of branches swaying on my wall
What scared me as a child
is a spirit keeper today.
The trees, they speak in their windblown ebb and flow.
Tossing leaves at my window to get my attention.
Look at me, they say.
Hear me with your eyes

for that is how you will know me.
See my naked limbs not as death
but as life shed from which to rebuild anew.
Heed my steady acceptance.
Feel my willingness to bare my soul,
as I find growth after the shock of winter’s chill.

________________________

Follow this link for more One Shot Wednesday poems.

What The Hell Wednesday - At least they're polite!

This was such a heart warming story, I couldn't pass it up. This little tidbit was compiled by our friends at the Associated Press. Many thanks for allowing me to paraphrase your story. I say this in hopes of preventing some type of ridiculous legal action.

Burglars leave 'Thank You' notes

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Two suspects face charges after police said they left a note thanking the homeowners for the five grand worth of electronics gear and food they stole.

Fayetteville police spokesman Dan Grubb said the pair left a note on a white paper napkin saying a polite, "Thanks." Grubb said a second message etched into a wall Wednesday morning said the same thing adding: "We love the stuff we got."

Nineteen year olds Dajuan Marquis Avant and Darrell Sturdivant Jr. were arrested for breaking & entering, larceny and face other non-specified charges.

The homeowners told The Fayetteville Observer the stolen loot included a box of corn dogs, frozen chicken and beer.

Isn't that sweet. It must have been quite a relief to the homeowners to know their house had just been rifled through and turned upside down by two such polite and grateful gentlemen. If you have ever been robbed, you know a Thank You note doesn't make you feel better although I am sure that is exactly what these two kind boys were trying to do - make the homeowners feel better. No sarcasm, just sincerity.

I think what surprises me the most is the police actually found the note on a napkin. My experience is that these robberies are so commonplace that little effort is put in to finding the culprits. I think it is pretty cool they found these two aspiring writers and booked them. I wonder if they located them by Googling to see if they had a blog. Something like http:gratefulrobbers.westeal.com or some such creative blog name.

But what really cracks me up isn't that they stole beer. How unimaginative. It's that they took chicken and corn dogs from the freezer. I mean really. What a kind and caring act - removing those harmful foods and watching out for the homeowner's health. Good guys those bandits.

For all the politeness, there is still no doubt the homeowners opened their door, looked around at their personal stuff tossed about the house or just plain missing and said, "What the Hell?"

Sunday 160 - Keeping Score

The competition had been intense.
With uniforms in disarray
all heads turned
toward the final score.
The only question -
did Snickers count more than Baby Ruth?

_____________________

For the original Sunday 160 post click here.
If you wish to take the challenge, here is a quick look at the rules:

1. The Sunday 160 only uses 160 characters (including spaces).
2. Keep on schedule - post Sunday.
3. Let me know you have posted via a comment on my site.
4. Visit at least one other Sunday 160.
____________________

Flash Fiction 55 - The Mask

It arrived in a plain brown envelope

from an unknown source.

“That thing is just creepy.

Don’t wear it,” pleaded his wife.

“I think it’s cool,” he said

as he raised the mask toward his face,

“It will scare the heck out of the kids.”

Upon awakening naked and covered in blood,

he remembered nothing.

______________________

This is a Flash Fiction Friday 55
hosted by Mr. Knowitall.
For more 55's pay him a visit -
Mr. Knowitall.
________________________

Or if you want yet another challenge write a Sunday 160.

Like a text message, the Sunday 160 only uses 160 characters (including spaces)
Keep on schedule - post Sunday
Let me know you have posted via a comment on my site
Visit at least one other Sunday 160

What The Hell Wednesday - Call the cops, this tastes nasty

Time for our weekly walk through the ingenious minds of petty thieves and criminals. I can't begin to tell you what I am learning about human nature by reading article after article from the depths of police reports. It's a good thing I have a sense of humor (thanks, mom) otherwise I would lose all faith in humanity and I'm here to tell you that faith hangs by a thread anyway. Check out this edited report by Jim McKinnon of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Man calls police to check his 'nasty' marijuana purchase

A Uniontown man Wednesday called police because what he believed was marijuana that he bought on the street tasted "nasty."

Now, investigators said, the 21-year-old man could be charged with possession of a look-a-like drug. He was not immediately arrested, and police declined to release his name.

The 'victim' reported that he had just bought a small amount of what he thought was marijuana and the taste turned him off, so he called police to check it for him, said police Det. Donald Gmitter.

Officers arrived at the man's apartment and found the green, leafy substance laid out on a table. The officers confiscated the substance after a field test kit used on the material was negative.

As dumb as the complaint sounds, Det. Gmitter said it's not nearly the first time someone has called to report being ripped off during the commission of illegal activity.

"We've had people call about prostitutes who, after they give them the money, they run away," Det. Gmitter said. "That's happened quite a few times."

The investigation is simmering.

Do you remember the old saying "Why do you think they call it 'dope'?" It sure applies here.

So I guess I should be surprised that someone stupid enough to buy fake pot is also stupid enough to call the police to check out it's "authenticity". What? You didn't smell it before you bought it? Next time take a whiff of the old stash box then a sniff of a few bottles on your spice rack and try to remember the differences. Cannabis. Oregano. Cannabis. Oregano. Get it?

What blows me away here is that not only did police take this very seriously by showing up to perform a field test on the 'nasty' substance, but they did it without laughing. At least that is how it's portrayed in the story.

I can just here the conversation.

Cop 1: "Nope, it's not marijuana. It appears to be a common kitchen spice."

Cop 2: "We should take it in as evidence."

Cop 1: under his breath "We should at least take it out to the squad car to put on our pizza. I mean, the guy did interrupt our dinner."

The other thing that cracks me up here is that Det. Gmitter (who has a vowel issue) actually had a frank discussion with a reporter about this type of report being no big deal. "Oh yeah, we get calls like this all the time. Usually some dude wanting us to chase down a hooker who stole his money. We just ask him to have his wife chase the hooker down to get his money back, to which the "victim" typically replies - What the Hell?"