Welcome to Gaia! ::

My first fizzle.

Prompts:

Ambulance Sirens on a cold night.
Waiting for the phone to ring.
Lightning in a Bottle.

~~~~~

5:10 PM. Ten minutes late.
He said he would call. He'll call.
After the first five minutes, she convinced herself that she was being ridiculous and stopped staring at the phone. Now she was relaxing (or trying to) on her bed, reading.
5:30.
He said he would call. He'll call.
He had a very busy, undoubtedly stressful job. Punctuality was not his strong suit. She had learned this early on and still fretted if there was room to fret.
6:00 PM.
He said he would call. ...Will he call?
The book bored her. Plus, she had the munchies. She headed into the kitchen for a snack, glancing at the thermostat on the table in the hall: 71 degrees Fahrenheit inside, 24 degrees outside. She reminded herself-- as she had done often the past few days-- how lucky she was to have a roof over her head and heat.
6:15.
The sound of sirens perked up her ears. Flashing lights drew her eyes away from the pages of another book, toward her bedroom window. They faded quickly, but two minutes later there were more, and a minute after that still more. An uncomfortable feeling settled into her chest. It's so cold out. I hope people are all right...
6:25.
The phone rang. She picked it up before the first ring finished.
"Derek?"
"Liz, thank god I got you."
It wasn't him.
"Tia? What's wrong?"
"Just-- Turn on the TV, channel 5."
She grabbed the remote and pressed power.
"...in front of Overture Inc. where a fire has broken out. The point of origin has been confirmed as the laboratory, but the cause is unknown. Three have been injured, with one in critical condition. They have been taken to the hospital and we'll have further updates as soon as we can--"
Blip.
Ohmygodohmygod
"Liz! Is it on?"
"I-- It just went-- It's blank."
"Same here. Must be the channel... Have you heard from Derek?"
"No..."
"Jesus. He works there..." A waste of words, saying what they both knew.
Blip.
"--and several eyewitnesses have said that it was a lightning bolt that started the fire. A lightning bolt, and the fire started inside the building. That's what we're hearing and it's been confirmed repeatedly."
She had thought she knew everything about him. But the reality unfolding before her made it clear that she knew nothing about him at all.

I rarely write poetry. Prose is my thing.
This is probably the first poem I've ever written, unless I wrote more when I was younger and somehow lost the files... Well, the was one other, but it barely got started before I scrapped it so I'm not counting that. whee

Kind of went in a few directions, this. But I just started following my consciousness stream, so yeah.


Below the fold lie many things
Small things, dark things, things with wings
Light things, big things, all reside
(some may have one trait, others five)
in this place where insanity thrives
from concepts ill-devised
words seen not with eyes
but deep inside the mind
Fall far into this hole
Don't plan where to go
look here and look there
See what gold spins from the air
visible to no one there
Except for you.
Insane, you cry
Oh no, say I
It is but the line
that your imagination
dances with.
Those who paint with words
fear this place will steal their souls
with thought abstracted so
no guide to follow
But there are others
who lose themselves willingly
The brave ones, the bright ones
jumping in unflinchingly
floating, unmoored
with concepts devised
and words seen with the mind
that flow from them unbidden
deep within
It keeps them sane,
this inspiration
So uncaged and wild
They cannot contain it
if they wish to keep their selves
from losing what's worthwhile
To create is to breathe
And this is where
they go when they so need
that extra blast of oxygen
the room to fully be
Let their imagination free
To soar without a lead
Without the mortal cares
so numerous and varied
that tie it down
above the ground
and start to drown
the colors down
until they can't get out
So if your soul is quite content
with staying in the light
then that's just fine
it's not a crime
to have nothing that fights
to come out
come hell or high water
and burst into the world
But if you do
If you can't breathe
For all the things inside
There is a place, I have been told
Where colors fly
And thoughts are alive
And senses overflow
Just close your eyes
Count to ten
Let your heart control
Make the dive
Fall wherever you may go
You'll find yourself
Below the fold
And find the gold
The line your being
Dances with.