There is deep meaning and wise advice in this haiku, Eric. It’s that old web of lies that turns up every now and then and all it takes is one little itch.
A cob web of lies
Starts with a single fine strand
Snares the unwary
–
Hello Lauren,
Like a spider, some spin webs of lies and end up getting, not only others but themselves too, entangled.
– Mui, who was single, had a weakness–gambling. It started off with weekly mah-jong sessions among her girlfriends and soon graduated to regular visits to the casino. Not surprisingly, sometimes she won and most times she lost. As the losses piled, she tapped what she thought was an easy source of funds.
Her boss, who appreciated the long hours she spent in the office and trusted her, had put her in charge of administration, including issuing cheques.
Before long, she forged claims and invoices, and took the money to feed her gambling losses. She juggled payments from customers and delayed the demands from suppliers.
But one of the suppliers who received several dud cheques lodged a police report, and matters spiralled out of control.
Mui went to jail.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for your visit and comment. All you say is true.
Cheers,
Eric
Perfect reply, Eric, and funny you mention spiders. I just did a post on them, well, not in honor, that is…Heebie Jeebies. Not sure if you saw it yet. Also, your story is a good example of a web that spins out of control. Do you think these up on the spot, or do you have a notebook of many? If you write on the spot, then I’m truly impressed. 🙂
Loading...
Thank you, Lauren, for your reply.
I’ll check on the Heebie Jeebies.
I think up the short stories (and haiku) on the spot. And as your probably noticed, these stories and haiku are based on themes and/or hints contained in readers’ comments. This is how I challenge myself.
Of course, these are all first draft flash fiction and haiku, and I might return to edit them.
Happy that you liked my responses.
Cheers!
Eric
Loading...
This whole blog is a cleverly structured warning to which I espouse 100%. When we were children my mother once put together a number of Shakespeare quotations relating to honesty she included:
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” and
“honesty is the best policy”
these among many others – I’m sure that it was in response to our erring from the truth which seems to happen with all children from time to time.
Our family motto was “Nosce teipsum” (Nosce Te Ipsum) or “know thyself.” so it all tied together.
i enjoyed reading all your comment responding italicized flash fictions under this haiku.
Nature and nurture
Ingredients brought to life
Moulding the future
–
Hello Jane,
I like your write up – thorough and revealing. Looks like your parents did well – and in traditional Asian circles, that is one of the highest compliments one can receive.
–
In the early 1980s, Lisa was heavily pregnant with child and her husband, Eric, was away on a business trip.
While waiting by the kerbside to flag a taxi, there was a sudden downpour. During the wet months, thundery showers are a common feature in Singapore.
A car pulled up – a total stranger – and gave Lisa a ride to the nearest bus station. She thanked the man and he drove off. She did not get his name or number.
Her sister berated her for taking such risks.
‘And what would Eric say, you taking rides with strange men?’
Eric was very pleased and smiled to himself.
Back in the 1970s, while driving home after work, Eric saw a woman with a pram – she was caught in an open bus stop and with the rain slanting down. He made a quick U-turn, picked up the woman and her child, and dropped them off at their destination – the nearby British military base, HMS Terror. He assumed she was a military wife. She thanked him and got off at the sheltered guardhouse.
It all happened so fast and he did not ask and she did not offer her name.
(This is based on a true story)
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Better to lead by example, I believe. As parents we have great responsibilities towards our children’s future. The most important calling and the least prepared most are.
All good wishes,
Eric
P/s Thank you, Jane – for having read all the flash fiction comments and ticking like 🙂
A deep meaning accompanies this haiku. The tendency to lie is there in every man. It usually start from the little things. Some people develop art of lying like any other habit. In truth, lies destroy all that is good.
Destroys the wielder
Lies, an acquired art and science
Gunpowder saves, kills
–
Hello Uzo,
You’re right – all man possess the tendency to lie. Like all negative behaviour – it takes some doing to keep this tendency in check.
–
While others saw him as a great story-teller and a fun guy to be with, Toby thought of himself as simply too clever.
Lying was his way of proving time and again that he can outsmart anyone. For him, it was all in fun.
But he never owned up and, though he hurt people, they never caught him. Instead, they loved him – even the ones whose backs he stabbed. And as for the girls – he enjoyed the pick of the field.
His college career counsellor said he would make a good leader. Perhaps in business or even in the priesthood.
Toby did better. He entered politics and became president.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Thank you, Uzo, as authors, I suppose we need to be aware of our surroundings – more so than most.
Cheers,
Eric
Spouse becomes boring
Multi coloured chocolates
Difference tastes same
–
Hello Bill,
You say “every” seven years. Sounds like a serial-marriage junkie. LOL.
–
Marcus LeBlond was a billionaire and renowned deal-maker.
Therefore, it was not surprising all his marriages came packaged with a huge diamond ring, a fat dowry for his wife, and a pre-nuptial agreement with a 7-year auto-divorce clause. Not surprisingly, there were hundreds and even thousands of women ready to do a deal with him.
He was happy, never strayed while married, and secured his wealth – no ex-wife got her greedy hands on his money.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a man remains happy and wealthy; and never cheats on his wife,” he said.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Come clean, up front, and save everyone plenty of aggravation 🙂
Cheers!
Eric
P/s Yes, I know… but we authors think outside the box 🙂
Not to be ignored
An itch can lead to blindness
There is sight, and sight
–
Hello Ina,
Your one-liner says quite a bit. I notice this – almost natural – ability in the practitioners of haiku. And you, my lady, is one of the best out there.
–
After her husband died, Lai devoted her life to bringing up her only son. In her eyes he could do no wrong. As he grew up the son graduated from lying to cheating, and to stealing. And Lai often quarreled with the villagers who dared to complain.
When a family turned up at her doorstep – her son had made their daughter pregnant – Lai called the poor girl a “slut”.
Years later, Lai suffered a massive stroke and lost her vision. Her son had long since abandoned her and she ended up in a home run by a charity.
She lamented her situation to the doctor, who did pro bono work at the home.
The doctor, a pretty young woman, knew better. She knew Lai’s life story.
Lai had called her mother a “slut”.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Yes, some are blind, long before they become blind.
Truth repeats itself
Lies twist, turn, and trip and fall
Floor full of dog shit 🙂
–
Dear Windy,
You’re right. When one lies – one’s story keeps changing.
–
‘Okay, Sarky,’ said the police detective. He pulled out a chair from under the table and sat down. ‘Let’s start from the beginning.’
‘I told your partner, whats-his-name, everything,’ said Sarky. He fingered the cuffs on his hands.
‘I know,’ said the detective. ‘But he forgot to take notes. And my captain is a stickler for notes.’ He opened his notebook, took out a pencil and said,
‘Right, it was your partner who fired the four shots, or was it five shots he fired?’
Ticks pass bot fly eggs
Ignore itch at your peril
Maggots under skin
–
Hello Ian,
I’ve taken your comment in its literal sense. I know the flash that follows is gross. Hope it does not turn off anyone reading my comment.
WARNING: Please do not read while eating.
–
It started with a small itch and progressively grew worse. Ella could not stop scratching her head. And over the days, she lost her friends in school. Lice infestation, they thought. She tried various brands and types of shampoo but nothing worked.
Driven to distraction, she told her mother who brought her to a clinic. The doctor soon located the source of the itch – and he pulled out a fat wriggling maggot from under her skin.
Ella won back her friends.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Like I said, sorry if it turns off anyone. Mosquitoes, ticks and lice are some culprits that transmit bot fly eggs. Yucks!
I was thinking in the philosophical sense, not the literal. Lies can fester and break out to the damage of the one lying and those his lies have bitten.
Loading...
No winners with lies
Flames consume all in the path
Do not light fires
–
Hello Ian,
Thank you for clarifying and putting me right. Yes, I did consider the philosophical approach too, and perhaps should have stuck to my first impressions. My apologies.
–
It started off innocent enough – a little gossip here, a little embellishment there.
But with time, the people in the small community viewed her as unreliable. And worse – a blatant liar.
Then, one day, a man raped her. He had taken her out for dinner and spiked her drinks. He was “an upstanding man” in the community.
Nevertheless, the police were efficient and showed no favours. He was arrested and brought to trial.
The case boiled down to her word against his. That led to a hung jury – pardon the pun.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Thank you again, Ian, and all good wishes,
Eric
Loading...
I interpret this as a good analogy of stopping the poison before it festers and spreads to something greater. There are often a lot of instances in our lives where this is true.
Drop of milk in tar
Takes more good than bad to change
Drop of tar in milk
–
Hello Joyce,
You got it spot on – and true, there are many instances where this is true.
–
In a cross-country run, unseen by umpires, a boy took a shortcut and won. Seeing how easy that was, he continued to beat the system. His father had told him that the world only rewards and remembers winners.
In time, the boy became a successful businessman; appeared on the covers of glossy magazines. He was always turned out in well-cut Italian suits and his latest wife draped on his arms. With every passing year, the day of reckoning crept up on him.
Until one day, he appeared in the front pages of newspapers and on airport TV news loops. He was wearing orange prison garbs with chains restraining his arms.
There is deep meaning and wise advice in this haiku, Eric. It’s that old web of lies that turns up every now and then and all it takes is one little itch.
A cob web of lies
Starts with a single fine strand
Snares the unwary
–
Hello Lauren,
Like a spider, some spin webs of lies and end up getting, not only others but themselves too, entangled.
–
Mui, who was single, had a weakness–gambling. It started off with weekly mah-jong sessions among her girlfriends and soon graduated to regular visits to the casino. Not surprisingly, sometimes she won and most times she lost. As the losses piled, she tapped what she thought was an easy source of funds.
Her boss, who appreciated the long hours she spent in the office and trusted her, had put her in charge of administration, including issuing cheques.
Before long, she forged claims and invoices, and took the money to feed her gambling losses. She juggled payments from customers and delayed the demands from suppliers.
But one of the suppliers who received several dud cheques lodged a police report, and matters spiralled out of control.
Mui went to jail.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for your visit and comment. All you say is true.
Cheers,
Eric
Perfect reply, Eric, and funny you mention spiders. I just did a post on them, well, not in honor, that is…Heebie Jeebies. Not sure if you saw it yet. Also, your story is a good example of a web that spins out of control. Do you think these up on the spot, or do you have a notebook of many? If you write on the spot, then I’m truly impressed. 🙂
Thank you, Lauren, for your reply.
I’ll check on the Heebie Jeebies.
I think up the short stories (and haiku) on the spot. And as your probably noticed, these stories and haiku are based on themes and/or hints contained in readers’ comments. This is how I challenge myself.
Of course, these are all first draft flash fiction and haiku, and I might return to edit them.
Happy that you liked my responses.
Cheers!
Eric
This whole blog is a cleverly structured warning to which I espouse 100%. When we were children my mother once put together a number of Shakespeare quotations relating to honesty she included:
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” and
“honesty is the best policy”
these among many others – I’m sure that it was in response to our erring from the truth which seems to happen with all children from time to time.
Our family motto was “Nosce teipsum” (Nosce Te Ipsum) or “know thyself.” so it all tied together.
i enjoyed reading all your comment responding italicized flash fictions under this haiku.
Nature and nurture
Ingredients brought to life
Moulding the future
–
Hello Jane,
I like your write up – thorough and revealing. Looks like your parents did well – and in traditional Asian circles, that is one of the highest compliments one can receive.
–
In the early 1980s, Lisa was heavily pregnant with child and her husband, Eric, was away on a business trip.
While waiting by the kerbside to flag a taxi, there was a sudden downpour. During the wet months, thundery showers are a common feature in Singapore.
A car pulled up – a total stranger – and gave Lisa a ride to the nearest bus station. She thanked the man and he drove off. She did not get his name or number.
Her sister berated her for taking such risks.
‘And what would Eric say, you taking rides with strange men?’
Eric was very pleased and smiled to himself.
Back in the 1970s, while driving home after work, Eric saw a woman with a pram – she was caught in an open bus stop and with the rain slanting down. He made a quick U-turn, picked up the woman and her child, and dropped them off at their destination – the nearby British military base, HMS Terror. He assumed she was a military wife. She thanked him and got off at the sheltered guardhouse.
It all happened so fast and he did not ask and she did not offer her name.
(This is based on a true story)
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Better to lead by example, I believe. As parents we have great responsibilities towards our children’s future. The most important calling and the least prepared most are.
All good wishes,
Eric
P/s Thank you, Jane – for having read all the flash fiction comments and ticking like 🙂
Hello Eric,
A deep meaning accompanies this haiku. The tendency to lie is there in every man. It usually start from the little things. Some people develop art of lying like any other habit. In truth, lies destroy all that is good.
You are a keen observer of nature 🙂
Destroys the wielder
Lies, an acquired art and science
Gunpowder saves, kills
–
Hello Uzo,
You’re right – all man possess the tendency to lie. Like all negative behaviour – it takes some doing to keep this tendency in check.
–
While others saw him as a great story-teller and a fun guy to be with, Toby thought of himself as simply too clever.
Lying was his way of proving time and again that he can outsmart anyone. For him, it was all in fun.
But he never owned up and, though he hurt people, they never caught him. Instead, they loved him – even the ones whose backs he stabbed. And as for the girls – he enjoyed the pick of the field.
His college career counsellor said he would make a good leader. Perhaps in business or even in the priesthood.
Toby did better. He entered politics and became president.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Thank you, Uzo, as authors, I suppose we need to be aware of our surroundings – more so than most.
Cheers,
Eric
every seven years, it’s especially dangerous !
Spouse becomes boring
Multi coloured chocolates
Difference tastes same
–
Hello Bill,
You say “every” seven years. Sounds like a serial-marriage junkie. LOL.
–
Marcus LeBlond was a billionaire and renowned deal-maker.
Therefore, it was not surprising all his marriages came packaged with a huge diamond ring, a fat dowry for his wife, and a pre-nuptial agreement with a 7-year auto-divorce clause. Not surprisingly, there were hundreds and even thousands of women ready to do a deal with him.
He was happy, never strayed while married, and secured his wealth – no ex-wife got her greedy hands on his money.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a man remains happy and wealthy; and never cheats on his wife,” he said.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Come clean, up front, and save everyone plenty of aggravation 🙂
Cheers!
Eric
P/s Yes, I know… but we authors think outside the box 🙂
Particularly if one scratches an itch near the eye and interferes with vision.
Not to be ignored
An itch can lead to blindness
There is sight, and sight
–
Hello Ina,
Your one-liner says quite a bit. I notice this – almost natural – ability in the practitioners of haiku. And you, my lady, is one of the best out there.
–
After her husband died, Lai devoted her life to bringing up her only son. In her eyes he could do no wrong. As he grew up the son graduated from lying to cheating, and to stealing. And Lai often quarreled with the villagers who dared to complain.
When a family turned up at her doorstep – her son had made their daughter pregnant – Lai called the poor girl a “slut”.
Years later, Lai suffered a massive stroke and lost her vision. Her son had long since abandoned her and she ended up in a home run by a charity.
She lamented her situation to the doctor, who did pro bono work at the home.
The doctor, a pretty young woman, knew better. She knew Lai’s life story.
Lai had called her mother a “slut”.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Yes, some are blind, long before they become blind.
All good wishes,
Eric
This is the tell ten lies to cover one lie syndrome and in the end you don’t remember any of the lies you told.
Truth repeats itself
Lies twist, turn, and trip and fall
Floor full of dog shit 🙂
–
Dear Windy,
You’re right. When one lies – one’s story keeps changing.
–
‘Okay, Sarky,’ said the police detective. He pulled out a chair from under the table and sat down. ‘Let’s start from the beginning.’
‘I told your partner, whats-his-name, everything,’ said Sarky. He fingered the cuffs on his hands.
‘I know,’ said the detective. ‘But he forgot to take notes. And my captain is a stickler for notes.’ He opened his notebook, took out a pencil and said,
‘Right, it was your partner who fired the four shots, or was it five shots he fired?’
Sarky dry-licked his lips.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Thank you Windy for your visit and comment.
Have a great weekend,
Eric
Sometimes they develop into much more negative results too Eric.
Ticks pass bot fly eggs
Ignore itch at your peril
Maggots under skin
–
Hello Ian,
I’ve taken your comment in its literal sense. I know the flash that follows is gross. Hope it does not turn off anyone reading my comment.
WARNING: Please do not read while eating.
–
It started with a small itch and progressively grew worse. Ella could not stop scratching her head. And over the days, she lost her friends in school. Lice infestation, they thought. She tried various brands and types of shampoo but nothing worked.
Driven to distraction, she told her mother who brought her to a clinic. The doctor soon located the source of the itch – and he pulled out a fat wriggling maggot from under her skin.
Ella won back her friends.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Like I said, sorry if it turns off anyone. Mosquitoes, ticks and lice are some culprits that transmit bot fly eggs. Yucks!
– Eric
I was thinking in the philosophical sense, not the literal. Lies can fester and break out to the damage of the one lying and those his lies have bitten.
No winners with lies
Flames consume all in the path
Do not light fires
–
Hello Ian,
Thank you for clarifying and putting me right. Yes, I did consider the philosophical approach too, and perhaps should have stuck to my first impressions. My apologies.
–
It started off innocent enough – a little gossip here, a little embellishment there.
But with time, the people in the small community viewed her as unreliable. And worse – a blatant liar.
Then, one day, a man raped her. He had taken her out for dinner and spiked her drinks. He was “an upstanding man” in the community.
Nevertheless, the police were efficient and showed no favours. He was arrested and brought to trial.
The case boiled down to her word against his. That led to a hung jury – pardon the pun.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Thank you again, Ian, and all good wishes,
Eric
I interpret this as a good analogy of stopping the poison before it festers and spreads to something greater. There are often a lot of instances in our lives where this is true.
Drop of milk in tar
Takes more good than bad to change
Drop of tar in milk
–
Hello Joyce,
You got it spot on – and true, there are many instances where this is true.
–
In a cross-country run, unseen by umpires, a boy took a shortcut and won. Seeing how easy that was, he continued to beat the system. His father had told him that the world only rewards and remembers winners.
In time, the boy became a successful businessman; appeared on the covers of glossy magazines. He was always turned out in well-cut Italian suits and his latest wife draped on his arms. With every passing year, the day of reckoning crept up on him.
Until one day, he appeared in the front pages of newspapers and on airport TV news loops. He was wearing orange prison garbs with chains restraining his arms.
Haiku & Story: Copyright @ Eric Alagan, 2018
–
Who was this boy turned crook? Take a pick…
Have a great weekend ahead,
Eric