Prompt word > PORTRAIT
On slow strolls down museum halls and art galleries, sometimes we linger at an oil — and in worse times, lose ourselves in it.
Really lose ourselves —-
You are all invited to come up with your own 33-word flash-fiction, using the prompt PORTRAIT.
If you care to post it in the “Comments” below – I shall collate and publish them in a Flash-Fiction Gallery on 19 March.
See Flash Fiction Gallery for a sample of what I mean.
Another avenue to gain exposure for your talent. See also Blog Tips.
Thank you and have a great day.
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Enjoyed this veritable feast of interactive flash fiction Eric 🙂
Glad you read and enjoyed them all, Madhu.
Very talented people came with their generous contributions.
Tomorrow, I shall be loading a small selection of 55-word flash fictions contributed by readers 🙂
Have a great week ahead,
Eric
Dark circled eyes
Portrait of restraint
Hair hung to hide painful reminders
of fists balled in anger
Bee stung lips
Portrait of the times
Head thrown back exposing bruised
hand prints
Hi Eric, I am feeling dark today.
Hello Val,
Such brutality – can only be wrought by an animal. Your words are dark, painful and wrenching.
I shall display this portrait in my forthcoming gallery. Thank you for your contribution.
Hope you are tapping into your “light” side.
Peace, Eric
Let me try as I try to write about my cute son:
Two large almond-shaped eyes
Long and twirled eyelash
Twinkling eyes
Shiny glossy lips
Stuck in my mind.
I can’t stop gazing you and kissing your cheeks.
To show you how much I care.
Eric, how do you think? 🙂
Well Yoshiko dear,
Obviously you son is a cutie and your words resonate your deep love for him – a love that only mothers can attain.
I’ll be happy to include your contribution (with due credit and link back to your blog) in my contributors’ Gallery.
Please do lookout for it.
Lovely piece,
Eric 🙂
Eric,
Thanks a lot.
I’ll be looking forward to it.
God bless,
Yoshiko
Oh Yoshiko – I just realised something. Your poem needs to incorporate the prompt word “Portrait”. Could you please revise. Thank you, Eric
Portrait
Two large almond-shaped eyes
Long and twirled eyelash
Twinkling eyes
Shiny glossy lips
Stuck in my mind.
I can’t stop gazing you and kissing your cheeks.
To show you how much I care.
Hi Eric, I’ll give it a shot! 🙂 Since I tend to write inspirational, upbeat things I thought I’d take a different route. A little stark, but specific and to the point. Had fun too.
The engaging expression, frozen. The mood, frozen. The look, frozen. A nice composition, yet frozen. Had I but realized that the portrait of you was “you” I would never have agreed for us to meet.
thanks for the opportunity to stretch a little, Penny
This wonderful, Penny.
Like you said, it is somewhat stark, but riveting.
I shall most certainly include this in the “Gallery” with due credit and linkback to your blog.
Many thanks,
Eric 🙂
Thank you Eric for including me in the “Gallery”. I am most appreciative, Penny 🙂
Wonderful! I was ‘drawn’ into the words xx
Hi Christy B,
Enjoy the experience 🙂
Hope this is good enough, it’s about my dog who died a few years ago now, she was so beautiful …
Your portrait hangs above the fireplace,
Brown eyes looking down on me,
I remember us running
through green fields
and long grass,
your love of water made me smile
my favourite puppy Willow.
Hello Baarbaara,
Certainly it is good enough and thank you for contributing.
Say hello to Poppy for me 🙂
All good wishes,
Eric
Hi Eric, Here’s a remembrance from about 15 years ago –
After pounding millet,
Walking miles for wood and baobab leaves,
Tending peanut and cotton crops,
Cooking and carrying babies,
Exhausted, my friend Naharatou
Patiently smiles at children –
A deceptive portrait of poverty.
Hi Melissa,
This is my kind of genre. There are two possible inferences in your flash fiction – and I love them both
From 15 years? I’m intrigued.
I’ll include it in my Gallery with pleasure.
Thank you very much for contributing your support,
Eric
Thank you Eric! I lived in West Africa for 4 years about 15 years ago, and for 2 of those years in a tiny village of subsistence farmers where I met Naharatou. I’ve never been able to forget how happy everyone seemed, so thankful for the slightest good thing that life gave them. Such a contrast to most Americans who have never experienced that level of poverty, and yet are generally morose and ungrateful 🙂 The mantra here in the U.S. seems to be that money = happiness. We might say the opposite, but the way we arrange our lives around getting money and the fear we all have of being the slightest bit poor shows our true beliefs. At least I have Naharatou’s example to help me think differently.
Ah Melissa,
This is wonderful backstory to your flash fiction – and based on true-life experience. That is a Wow!
It is interesting that when we set out to transform, we are transformed in turn. This indicates high levels of openness, humility and empathy and I am gratified that you shared your experience with us. Thank you again.
I had a similar experience and if you care to read > http://wp.me/p1YE83-mn
Yes, unfortunately people say something and do something else. But I suppose we can’t and shouldn’t judge. The best we can do is to live by example and speak about it softly.
Much love and peace coming your way,
Eric
Hi Eric.
Thank you for your suggestion. Lets change line five -I think that this is an improvement and allows me to keep the ring of ‘hangs in the galleries of my mind’.
An image random found
In the city’s anonymous crowd
Opens to you beyond
And your face horded, valued,
As a great master’s portrait,
Timeless, space-less, beautiful,
Hangs in the galleries of my mind.
Marvellous Jane,
I really appreciate you agreeing to my suggestion.
Yes, now that you mention it – “hangs” does retain the ring to wrap it off nicely.
Luv and hugz,
Eric
Eric, this is just my little comment, not to add to those above, but I love the beauty in your words; you are a true master, and I don’t think you’ll get burned! Just go for it! 🙂
Sending much love and hugs for a happy Wednesday!
Ha! Ha! Thank you and I’ll take that under advice 🙂
Like you, I am happy with the person I already have — but in the next life? Hmmm, what evil this mind spins 😆
Luv and hugz,
ERic
And I’m sure it can get very evil! Oops, did I say that? See, I’m getting to know you, my friend! 🙂
Love and hugs back atcha! L
Hmm…not really sure where I could slip it…maybe just as a title? It -is- only 32 words as it stands…a one world title would put it right at 33. :p
“Portrait”
The fascinated crowd fills the small overheated room.
Breathless, they watch the squares flip, black and white and black.
Finally the magic lantern man steps back…a flourish…
“I give you…Her Majesty, Victoria!”
And as for timing/genre, go back a good few more years…then add steam-powered goodness. *eg*
Got it. Will do KC.
My mind is all twisted now – need to figure out the genre – I’ll think of a bribe 😀
*laughs* Google steam-powered technology in Victorian England. See what you get. If its not Steampunk, then tell Google it’s silly, and Google Steampunk. :p
Okay KC 😆
Oh, and Jasey, I agree with Eric…from the two bits of your writing that I’ve seen, I have to wonder why you’re not blogging on a more regular basis. 😉
Hear! Hear 🙂
Yay, I get to play again! *claps* This is a fun game. It lets me poke and prod and push my silly feckless words into the teeniest bit more discipline…before they all fall around on the floor laughing again. *pokes* Silly little things…good thing I love you. Anyway, here’s what they came up with this time. 😉
The fascinated crowd fills the small overheated room.
Breathless, they watch the squares flip, black and white and black.
Finally the magic lantern man steps back…a flourish…
“I give you…Her Majesty, Victoria!”
(Extry internets for anyone who can guess the genre…;p)
Hello KC – welcome back. And I see you brought “words” with you 🙂
Days of yore when nickelodeons in entertainment’s fore.
Valentino squeaked and yet women, their love, swore
Then came sound
And silent movies were gone
Poor Rudolph, he could squeak no more
And was out of the pictures evermore
The women didn’t care, fading from their minds,
For new heroes in tights did prance
In musical black and white dance
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P/s Any chance you can “Portrait” slip in?
Placing Victoria in flowing gowns or lingerie 🙂
For her secrets she might reveal 🙂
Hehe…I guess there’s no harm in imagining himself in the portrait…as long as his wife isn’t at the gallery with him 🙂
True but then again she might be hoping he will jump in and good riddance too – freeing her to ride off into the sunset with the dashing hero astride the white charger yearning for her from the next oil painting 🙂
Sorry I forgot to add that your ff is beautifully written with a mystical twist. “Angels” – from which realm. Even angels are questionable these days..LOL.
Oh, no need to apologise Jasey, but enjoyed your compliment 🙂
…. especially those who claim to be angels.
I often wonder how many benefit from talks by well-renowned speakers of the world, regardless of what they present. Your occasional cynicism must have rubbed of on me, LOL. Anyway you did mention that it can be of any genre.
Applause rang across the conference room.
He painted a captivating portrait
of what great achievers we can all aspire to be.
Really ? No matter.
The speaker laughs his way to the bank.
LOL Jasey – who is the cynical one 🙂
Love that last line – a killer!
You are getting better with every post.
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Mechanic Leigh: She is my fan. Heh! Heh! Heh!
Ghost Writer: Hey! Wait until tomorrow, when you are on.
Mechanic Leigh: 🙁
Make sure you don’t concentrate too much on that seductive beauty. Many a man has been burned, and it wasn’t from the fireside. lol.
Nice play with puns, Ian 🙂
Very true, beauties there are who light fires in men’s bellies which they stoke – consuming the men like moths to candles.
Hi Eric, I love your challenge. Will tihs adapation taken from a longer peom that I wrote some tiem ago fill the ticket?
An image random found
In the city’s anonymous crowd
Opens to you beyond
And your face horded, valued,
As a great master’s painting,
Timeless, space-less, beautiful,
Hangs in the galleries of my mind.
This is lovely Jane.
I read your adaptation twice and love it.
One small request – in keeping with the prompt word, could I replace either “painting” (fifth line) or better yet, “Hangs” (last line) with the prompt word “portrait” – or will this diminish the poem? Your call 🙂
With your permission, I shall include this in the 19 March Gallery.
Luv and hugz,
Eric