The ol’ yawn and stretch routine
So I can wrap my arms
Around your neck
Pulling you in for a kiss.
Giggling
As you scoop me up,
Picking me off my feet,
Princess carrying me
To my chair.
Don’t worry,
I’m in no hurry,
I’m already in the best seat
Of the house.
Now I’ve got you where I want.
Don’t look so surprised.
You knew exactly
What I was doing.
And yes…
I’m flirting.
Is it working?
My mama said not to talk to strangers
But I never shied away from danger
Your smile whispers, come closer
While your walls warn me to stay away.
Promises to beat along to my pulse,
Only to lose myself in your verse,
Jumbled in your rhythm,
Your flame licking at my heels.
Silly me, I thought I could handle it,
But we were pages in different books.
You already had your notes written,
Watching from afar
Keeping count of all my missteps.
The odds were stacked against me,
Long before I entered the game.
By then,
It was too late,
I already lost,
I was just another story
You’d already finished writing.
Shadows dancing along the shoreline,
Each movement a whisper of a question,
As the air falls still,
And the clouds hold their breath.
Quietly, the overcast exhales,
Crawling across the horizon,
Revealing a soft amber glow,
Spilling through the clouds.
She walks slowly out into the sea,
The sting of the waves biting at her ankles,
The chill creeping up her legs.
She pauses in between steps
Scooping up her doubt
As it trickles through her palms.
Treading softly,
She feels the golden floor beneath her
The grains tickling between her toes
Slipping with every step.
Each splash washes against her,
Pulling the hush between her breaths.
With every ripple,
The water mirrors the blushing sunset,
Its colors trembling around her.
Above her, the sky blushes,
Washing over her with warmth.
She drifts above the surface,
Letting her fears
Pull away in the rhythm
Of waves crashing into the shore.
Letting the tides return her back
To the sandy shore,
The sun sinks lower,
Drawing gold ribbons across the ripples.
She watches them fade into the distance
As the silence around her blurs
Into the background,
Pulling her back into the moment
Where her heart no longer felt heavy.
“Act like a lady.”
Haven’t you heard?
I’m still a lady in red.
I don’t hold my tongue,
I’ll hold the door
With a princess wave,
As I tell you,
“Don’t let the door hit you
On the way out.”
“You don’t mind do you?”
I’m sorry, perhaps
You need to clean your ears.
I know I was being clear
The first time around.
But you better fucking believe
I mind.
The effort you take to throw hate.
I’m quite amazed
At the games you play.
Tossing us aside
Like a place on the shelf,
One you already had prepared.
Look, I’m not scared.
Independence flows through my veins.
Being alone is more refreshing
Than feeling invisible,
Than begging to be seen.
Do I mind?
I did.
But now I see
The toxic ways your mind works
Were never healthy for me.
You’re stuck in a pit
With no hand to grab,
And I refuse to be pulled down,
Not again,
Not ever.
I’m not going to take the stabs.
Or fight with vengeance
And cruel tactics.
My heart may hurt.
My soul may thirst.
But there’s something
You couldn’t take from me:
My character.
My respect.
My dignity.
This time
I’m walking away for good.
~ Ghost Doubt
Words: shadow, whisper, shoreline
Phrase: With every ripple, the water mirrored the blushing sunset.
Please Remember:
Prompts run Sunday thru Saturday; with new words/phrase provided each week.
Choose one, some or all of the prompts provided but the word(s) or phrase selected must appear in the body of your piece.
Submit all work in the week the prompt is active.
When posting format your title as:
WOW: Your Title Here
As always, submissions should remain within the spirit and guidelines of the community.
We can’t wait to read what you WOW us with!
Sun-kissed skin, Your name on my lips, Melodies tangling in my hair, As the road fades behind us, Down the winding path.
Looking at you, Head tilted, Wearing a half-drunk smile, And I already know,
This is the kind of moment That will stay on repeat Even when the edges Of memory begin to blur.
Each mile etched on our map, Secrets linger in the air, With every beat between us.
When silence learns our breath, Saying what neither of us dares, Our souls whisper, “Have we met?”
Twisting my fingers
In my sky high hem,
I twirl in my heels
As it rises just a bit more.
Glancing back with a smirk,
I give you a once-over
Letting my gaze linger
As you try to keep composure,
Shifting in your seat.
I know I’m playing with fire
As I tip the scales
Leaning just a little farther
And watching you try not to look.
It’s ok…
I’m giving you permission.
Will you take it?
I’m begging you to come closer,
See it in my eyes,
Cross that line,
Loosen the restraint between us,
And let this moment begin.
Winds howling,
Tearing apart my foundation
As the storms unrelentingly drench me
Striking from every direction.
Your hurricane
Lifts me higher,
Spinning me deeper
Into the eye of your rage.
Losing my footing,
I reach out to hold on,
Pulled into your chaos,
Even as every cell
Screams for me to run.
I don’t know
How much longer I can endure.
Falling to my knees,
I stare into your gaze.
Still, I won’t break.
Get a grip, girl.
You’re sweet as can be,
Even when you’re teasing me,
I’m onto you, mister,
It’s never anything sinister.
You just want to see me giggle,
Do that full-body mambo-jumbo wiggle.
You know I’m giving you the side eye,
While I’m laughing, slapping my thigh.
Ok you win,
Grumpiness is a sin
When I’m basking in your heart.
And yes I’d still love you,
Even if you were
A dill pickle cupcake.
You don’t have to ask,
You’re my favorite treat.
But that’s your favorite game:
Making me grin,
Making me blush
And falling for your jokes
On an endless loop.
Eyes lifting out of a fog,
She slowly rose to her feet,
Only to slip to her knees.
She crawled to the hallway mirror,
Tracing the crack across its surface.
She traced her face in the mirror,
Hoping the touch might wake her,
In her glassy eyes,
Love wasn’t something
The glass could hold.
Ignoring the ache in her belly,
A hunger burning behind her eyes,
She faltered with each step.
Color drained from her reflection,
Flawless. Uncracked.
Except beneath.
So pretty,
It hurts.
Nestled against one another,
She breathed a sigh of relief,
Their breathing steadied,
Soft waves lapping against his chest.
She wore the moonlight like lingerie,
Delicate, a scintilla of silver,
Whispering along her milky skin.
Each sparkle in their eyes
Spoke of stories yet to begin
Unraveling with every unspoken promise,
Starlight arched between their hearts.
Dearest diary,
The horrors persist.
What’s the worst that can happen?
Famous last words,
Right?
Spilled coffee on the report
And it’s only 8 a.m.
Sweat on the keyboard,
Staffing shortages left and right,
Everybody’s calling out again,
But it’ll be alright.
You can’t make this shit up.
It’s just another day in paradise.
I could use another cup of tea.
Sipping on chaos,
Steeped with disbelief.
They did what?
Did they not read the policy?
It’s clearly outlined in bold,
Highlighted in neon colors.
Where was the confusion?
You can’t make this shit up.
It’s just another day in paradise.
Sorry, did I say that out loud?
They said what?
Why did they think that was ok?
Come to work,
Get along.
Is that too much to ask?
Bringing the spray bottle,
Breaking up the fights.
Clean up in aisle 5…
You can’t make this shit up.
Could things get any worse?
Wait! Don’t answer that!
It’s just another day in paradise.
What do you mean
The building is on fire?
Like literally
Or figuratively?
Sigh.
I give up.
I raise my white flag.
Now,
Where do I go
To sign up to be a trophy wife?
Repeat after me.
What’s the worst that can happen?
Famous last words.
Bathing beneath the silver moonlight, The stars exhaled a soft sigh, Their sorrows streaking through the sky. From every fallen teardrop, Shards of hope scattered, Glimmering across the velvet night.
Under the diamond studded skies, Our fingers danced Until they met their match, Your heartbeat brushed against mine, Pulling me close Until your breath unraveled Along my neck.
The wind carried no promises, Only the quiet longing of forever. Our hands met as gently As dawn washes over us, Awakening my every sense.
The moon wrapped us in silver, While the stars watched in peaceful wonder. For they knew what even time could never keep, That love is not written in the heavens.
It is born each time You pull my heartstrings, Drawing me back into your arms, Where I fall in love With you again For the first time.
~Doubt & ghostwriter
You can be my shining star
As I fall into your ocean,
Your currents, teaching
Me how to swim.
Like a steady wave,
I float along to your rhythm,
As each syllable
Carries me to you.
You can be my guiding light,
Wrapping softly around my arm,
Drawing me gently to your shore,
Where the sands of time
Stand still for us,
As I linger in the golden hours,
Beside you, endlessly.
Posted on behalf of Bluebird
Will Bluebird, the Dude, and SoulMan return for an encore?
The automated algorithm says no.
The plot of online meanders
while unresponsive hammers fall,
rarely pausing to wonder
about the hearts
behind the screen.
Angry?
No.
It is, after all,
a virtual world.
Disappointed?
Beyond comprehension.
Yet….
Third Eye
was never made of servers,
screens,
or silent moderators.
It is family.
A gathering of genuine souls
who dared leave the door
just a crack,
allowing another traveler
to glimpse the person
between the lines.
That has been
the magic.
My vision never changed.
To hold up a mirror
polished with clarity,
until someone catches sight
of the wonder
they forgot lived within them.
You are,
and always have been,
far greater
than any hater’s whisper
or coward’s shadow.
To each of you
I laughed with,
pondered beside,
challenged,
encouraged,
or danced through words and memes…
Thank you
for trusting a stranger
with pieces of your story.
As my final curtain drops,
my final page here at hand….
Do not let the music stop.
Carry your words
the way campfire embers
carry warmth into the night.
Perhaps our paths
will cross on
a concert stage,
along a wooded hiking trail,
in some quiet coffee shop
or club
where another conversation
is patiently waiting.
Until then….
Write honestly.
Love generously.
See beyond your sight.
And remember
kindness
is never
a poor choice.
The deepest fire is never born to consume, Its flames simmer beneath the surface, Rising only to chase away the chill.
It learns to glow with quiet grace instead, Sparking when needed, Not seeking to be seen, But to become a home. A place of refuge on the coldest nights.
A warmth that asks for nothing, Yet gives everything, Not easily doused, Its embers endure.
When their glow flickers, They find their tinder once more, Digging into the silence, Setting their heart ablaze.
And every soul it touches Leaves carrying a little more light.
~ Doubt & ghostwriter
The azure sky trembled beneath quickened thunder as the heavens split open.
Dancing in your rain, your warmth lingered on my skin. Each drop rippled in my pond, shattering distilled fears leaving them to drown in my depths.
Sunlit circles widening softly outward, teaching still water how to feel, as my heart learned how to sing again.
Bathing beneath the silver moon, light shimmers across me like a calm sea looking through the window, I see an ocean reframed as the stars exhaled a soft sigh, echoing mine.
In rippling tears I cry, "Is it me?” Is it my sorrows streaking through the sky? Rippling above as a lost comet, a fallen star, teardrops streaking across, written in the stars, glimmering across the velvet night in my eyes.
Shattered in past shards of hope, now scattered dreams, sprinkled across my mind, I can’t gather as each piece slips through my fingers.
I lay here drifting, near this window, is it me, a faint wish few can grasp? Am I the current or what the river fears as each feeling is echoed in each gasp?
Am I their window, or a mirror reflecting stars without a beacon?
No, in my eyes there’s a bridge between souls, in hearts who learn to fall in love without fear, and fly through their distant wishes.
Stars that fall become a wish we see, mirroring our horizon.
Maybe in the end, it was me finding my way home.
While bathing beneath the silver moon,
I found not my tears but the light hidden in my fear. Here, I always have hope, a shining star above.
Light shimmers across me like a calm sea, soft waves lapping against my heart.
She seemed deep in thought as she mulled over the decision before her.
“Remember, this is a huge responsibility. It’s more than just a title. There’s a lot that comes with it. You’ll need to sit beside me, wind tangling your hair, sun kissing your skin.”
“That doesn’t seem too bad.”
“Like I said, it does come with responsibilities. You’ll have to keep me on track. I’ll probably miss my exit the moment I catch you looking at me.
You’ll also need to be flexible, helping me find pit stops at a drop of the hat.
Speaking of pit stops, you'll have to help keep me fueled by passing me a fry, a bite of your burger, or whatever we're snacking on.
You're also in charge of the music. You pick the vibe, and you'll be my backup singer whenever the chorus hits."
“That does sound like quite the job. Will I be allowed to rest?”
“Of course, I’m no monster. You can nap whenever you need to, letting your hair fall like a curtain and shutting the world away.
He smiled.
“So…what do you say? Will you be my passenger princess?”