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- the war on books
It is not enough
to decry books, but to stop
others from access. - most wanted librarians
They’re outlaws because
they fight for freedom to read,
to think and to share. - a trip to the emergency room
Waiting among the
sickies to be processed and
tested and restored. - a tendency towards warm soda
They would drink cans of
Coke straight off the counter, no
ice, like weirdos. *burp* - car shopping 2024
Check out a bunch of
websites to find suitable
used cars to purchase. - the ever-tightening belt
Paycheck to paycheck,
staying afloat (barely) all
while making ends meet. - the rise of sports gambling
Bet on every score,
tackle, pitch, penalty, free
throw, fight, injury. - striking distance
Never friendly to
labor, the South finds itself
with more new unions. - bonus ticket
Invite a friend to
accompany us to the
concert this evening. - things that go wrong baking cookies
Too much of something,
an uneven oven or
butter at wrong temp. - the fraternity
Fighting one minute,
playing together the next.
brotherly love wins. - stop signs and speed bumps
The neighborhood would
no longer tolerate those
speeders on the street. - the lonely whistleblower
Her voice proclaims the
misdeeds of others, only
to be brushed aside. - driving to mexico
Get off road before
nightfall. Carry bribe money
for policía. - looking for peppadews
Wandering the aisles
and asking the employees
about this pepper. - never order the chicken salad
They make the dish with
whatever chicken scraps are
left lying around. - browsing mckay’s
Aisles of beautiful
used books, crate after crate of
albums, lots of games. - forced to use the drive-thru
We wished to order
at the counter, but they locked
the damn restaurant. - who needs a driver’s license anymore?
Kids today with their
screens and anxieties don’t
want to drive a car. - pranking gone wrong
They’re usually
just excuses to be mean
while having a laugh. - barbecue dynasty
They carried on in
their father’s name, working the
pits from early dawn. - jump higher than ever
His vertical reach
was more than before, which was
a total surprise. - possessions unloaded
Before moving, the
couple disgorged themselves of
all worldly chattels. - no more farce
Satire is no
longer possible when real
life grows outlandish. - homes for one euro
In Italy, the
oldest broken down houses
are sold for nothing. - boundless neediness
The singer begged for
applause and shouting from a
weary audience. - alcoholics synonymous
Everywhere she turned,
her friends drank themselves nearly
to death. Spirits crushed. - no one blogs anymore
It’s all TikTok and
Instagram. Not Snapchat nor
Twitter. (Some Facebook.) - coltrane’s ‘alabama’
Written to echo
King’s speech and played in tribute
to four little girls. - the storytellers on facebook
Long rambling tales of
personal loss and minor
triumphs. Hit Publish. - have i seen this before?
So many movies,
books, TV shows and bands are
hard to keep in mind. - only so many saturdays in a year
A plethora of
choices from festivals to
art shows to cook-offs. - humorous decline
My ability
to pen punchlines has failed to
keep up with the times. - how we commemorate this memorial day
Picnic, prayer, beach trip,
grilling, cleaning graves, reflect,
storytelling, “Taps.” - christmas card from 1998
Chock full of witty
statistics from my own hum
drum everyday life. - has the internet made us smarter?
We have access to
the sum total of human
knowledge on our phones. - commute under protest
Wake up, get in the
car, face traffic, find parking,
repeat at day’s end. - up next … summer
Carefree days of hot
weather, cold drinks, all under
a brilliant blue sky. - the unexpected roommate
She arrived on the
doorstep with no place to go.
She crashed on the couch. - an end to toxic relationships
No more abusive
language. No more gaslighting.
No more tolerance. - kid art
An unkempt sheaf of
old drawings gathers dust. Should
we keep them always? - dear daughter
I miss you, and I
hope you’re the one to break the
absolute silence. - the murky path forward
To bootstrap yourself
requires a menu of
tough (some bad) choices. - a potpourri of plants
Green leaves and swelling
branches bring the room to lush
life. Growth beckons us. - the gentle art of sitting outside
Despite the heat and
mosquitoes, it behooves us
to sit a spell there. - interviews and connections
A job on the line,
it all comes down to sincere
likability. - the first cruise
They boarded the huge
ship, ready to explore nooks
and crannies alike. - the bad girlfriend
She led him to wrong
choices and cackled at his
casual cruelty. - chipmunk on the loose
Strange visitor from
the outside scampers through the
unguarded kitchen. - staycation sex
Like vacation sex,
but in oddball poses and
various spaces. - waves and waves and waves
Their pool antics made
for tiny tidal waves while
they shrieked in laughter. - road trip to texas
Gas up and head west.
Follow horizon till we
end up in Lubbock. - to pay it forward
So rarely do we
get the chance to help someone
we see in ourselves. - for the love of tires
Two tires for this
car, two tires for that car.
Rolling toward debt. - the closet of ill-fitting clothes
Not a shirt nor a
pants still fit. Time for a big
fashion overhaul. - invasion of the rats
They left little gifts
on desks of unsuspecting
workers overnight. - hail the conquering webmaster
It’s not easy to
create a company site,
but she did it well. - rules of power outages
Do not open the
fridge. Do not believe the time
promised for repair. - aligning with corporate values
Do we see eye to
eye when it comes to virtue
and dignity? Aye. - antiquing on the road
Browse the aisles at quaint
repositories for some
old, old bric-a-brac. - where does the money go?
We spend it as soon
as we get it. “Flush with cash”
turns into “flat broke.” - anniversary the second
Never have I had
a partner who makes me smile
so effortlessly. - selling art
Paintings and sculptures,
photos and music. Pricing
creativity. - the agony of split nails
They get caught on just
about everything, making
healing seem hopeless. - authoritarianism 2024
The world embraces
the strongman, at a true cost
to democracy. - trash city
Bag after bag fills
the can on the street. We’re a
throw-away culture. - the paper plate experiment
Forget the dishes:
Live a little with dishware
that can disappear. - the speed of mendacity
A lie is halfway
round the world before the truth
has got its boots on. - advance memories
My dreams sometimes drift
back to the newsroom when it
all brimmed with promise. - the proper loading of a dishwasher
Cups and bowls on the
top rack; plates, bowls, utensils
and pans on bottom. - unsolicited flattery
He butters me up
with compliments and sweetest
nothings. I do blush. - gathering on the fourth
The neighborhood brings
meats, sides and desserts aligned
with last initials. - sweaty overall
The humidity’s
stuck at 100 percent
in blistering heat. - gotta have a hat
A hairnet does no
one any favors, but a
cap always fits nice. - summer of sharks
In waist-deep water
does the fierce predator lurk,
jaws at the ready. - ramble on
She would wind her way
around a sentence, with one
more set to collide. - forming an identity
Pieces combining
to denote temperament,
attitude, ego. - the kitchen grind
Cooks a blur with prep
work and firing steaks. Plate
plating after plate. - to catch a president
He’s guilty, but he
won’t see the inside of a
prison this go-round. - locking it all up
One key for the front
door, the back door, the warehouse
door and offices. - great at communication
Speaks clearly and with
humility. Listens to
every nuanced phrase. - talking-to-teen talking points
Pay attention. Do
better. Clean up your room. Take
out the trash. Grow up! - being seen is everything
I mean, just try not
being seen, an exercise
in mute frustration. - chefs
Gang of knife-wielding
sickos who smoke, drink, curse and
turn out great cuisine. - he wore a red bandanna
Around his neck, it
reminded him of a girl
with bright shiny eyes. - headsets and joysticks
Gaming online with
your best friends, total strangers
and vicious smack talk. - the malfunctioning refrigerator
It got hot, it got
cold. It couldn’t stay on task
for long periods. - unsolicited feedback
They come at you with
criticisms and jabs while
you’re trying to work. - the checklist
The charter kept him
on track for opening and
closing the office. - painting projects
This one is a blue
lobster, while this other one
is a tiger face. - face off
The two candidates
slung proposals and insults
for 90 minutes. - choice of side dish
Corn on the cob, baked
beans, turnip greens, mac and cheese,
fried okra, coleslaw. - a northern heat wave
The furnace that is
our outside arrives in the
once chill Yankee states. - ooh la la, gay paris
The City of Light
welcomes competing athletes
from the world over. - an unpredictable violence
He could lash out and
punch walls at any moment.
We tolerate it. - narrating your life
A subconscious urge
to bring order by speaking
aloud mundane tasks. - waiting for updates
Check email. Wait. Grind
teeth. Wait some more. Check email.
No news is no news. - shield me from the microwave
You can’t convince me
that it ain’t bombarding me
with radiation. - radiation and the modern phone
Supergadget or
mini-nuclear reactor
for pocket cancer? - both sides now
He felt it best to
prep for the conversation
using a checklist. - morsels for the mind
What do we feed on
that helps stimulate the brain?
Smart choice, smarter us.
• • •
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