Day: December 5, 2020

Tinnitus

Fandango14 Comments

The onus is on me

It’s mine alone to tackle

To deal with this incessant ringing

Because no one is waiting in the wings

With some miracle cure

That will ease my burden

Or shut off the noise

That is only inside my head

That only I can hear

It’s mind over matter

I must learn to live with it

Because I’m going to die with it.

The onus is on me

Written for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One- Word Challenge (onus), The Daily Spur (tackle), Your Daily Word Prompt (incessant), and Word of the Day Challenge (waiting).

SoCS — The List Maker

Fandango9 Comments

For this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt from Linda G. Hill, we are asked about lists. She asks us to make or talk about a list.

I’ve always been a natural list maker. And I’ve found that, as I’ve gotten older, list making has become even more important than ever, because my memory is not as good as it once was. I make grocery lists, to-do lists, lists of shows or movies I may want to watch on TV or books I may want to download onto my iPhone.

And, because my cursive has evolved to the point that even I can’t read my handwriting, I make all of my lists using the handy dandy Notes app on my iPhone. For example, here’s my most recent and very legible grocery shopping list.Most of the items on the above list (except for the ice cream) were dictated to me by my wife. As I walk around the grocery store, pick up the items on the list, and drop them into the shopping cart, I use the text strikethrough feature of the app to indicate that I’ve secured the item in question so that when I get home my wife won’t yell at me for forgetting something.

And yes, I’ve got a holiday gift list going, too. But that’s top secret, so, sorry, but I can’t post it here.

I’m a strong advocate of lists. They keep me organized and without them, I probably wouldn’t get anything done.

First Line Friday — Meant to Be

Fandango18 Comments

The black dog followed them home. Eric knew this would be trouble. He and his wife, Rhonda, had lost their beloved black shepherd/Lab mix, Shadow, in November and Rhonda had begun talking about getting another dog. But Eric was dead set against it. “Having a dog will tie us down, Ronda,” he argued. “We finally have the freedom now to travel and go where we want for however long we want to go any time we wish to.”

“We’re in the middle of a goddam pandemic,” Rhonda argued back. “They’re ordering us to stay home and leave only when it’s essential. So where is it that you think we’re going to go?”

As they approached their house, Rhonda looked back to see the dog stop and look at her with its sad, brown eyes. She leaned down and motioned for the dog to come forward, which it slowly and cautiously did. “Look, Eric,” she said. “No collar, no tags.” Getting down on her knees, she hugged the dog and the dog rewarded Rhonda by licking her face. “We can’t just leave this sweet dog out here. It’s starting to get dark and it’s supposed to get down into the thirties tonight.”

Eric knew his wife well enough to know that there was no point in arguing. “Fine,” he said, “we’ll bring this mangy mutt in, give it some food and water, and we can take it to the vet tomorrow to have it checked out. But then we have to find out if he’s anybody’s pet dog and, if so, to see if they’re looking for him.”

Rhonda smiled, “It’s a her, Eric, and she looks so much like our Shadow, doesn’t she? It was meant to be, Eric.”

Written for the First Line Friday prompt from Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie, where the first line is “The black dog followed them home.”