Crafting Poetry One Syllable at a Time
Posted on September 23, 2017 by Colleen M. Chesebro
I’ve written this story for the Flash Fiction Challenge at Carrot Ranch.com.
September 21, 2017, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about what it is to gather a harvest. You can use the phrase or show what it means without using the words. Go where the prompt leads.
Respond by September 26, 2017, to be included in the compilation (published September 27). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
The crops were finally in. Astrid paused beneath the orange glow of the autumnal moon. It was time.
A mystical vision had revealed her new task. Astrid was to harvest the wishes and dreams of her people. Then, she was to drop them into a silver goblet and swirl them together to be sprinkled back upon the earth like dew as a gift from the gods.
The coolness of the night did not discourage her. Astrid raised the chalice and scattered the contents to the heavens. The dew crystalized from the cold and a lacy frost covered the ground.
© 2017 Colleen M. Chesebro
Thanks for stopping by. ❤
Category: Authors Supporting AuthorsTags: 99 Word Challenge, Carrot Ranch Literary Community, flash fiction, frost, harvest, harvest myths, moon myths, The First Frost, What it is to gather a harvest
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“A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone’s knowledge of himself and the world around him.”
—Dylan Thomas
Click: What is a Rhyme Scheme?
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Colleen M. Chesebro is an American Poet who loves crafting paranormal fantasy and magical realism, cross-genre flash fiction, syllabic poetry, and creative nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called Tanka Tuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of haiku, senryu, haiga, tanka, gogyohka, tanka prose, renga, solo-renga, haibun, cinquain, Etheree, nonet, and shadorma poetry. Colleen's syllabic poetry has appeared in the Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal, and in “Hedgerow, a journal of small poems.” She’s won numerous awards from participating in the Carrot Ranch Rodeo, a yearly flash fiction contest sponsored by carrotranch.com. In 2020, she won first place in the Carrot Ranch Folk Tale or Fable category, with her story called “Why Wolf Howls at the Moon.” Colleen is a Sister of the Fey, where she pursues a pagan path through her writing. When she is not writing, she is reading. She also loves gardening and crocheting old-fashioned doilies into works of art.
Sounds like a kind of fairy dust….
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I ran out of words! LOL. A myth, perhaps?
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LOL 😄
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thanks for sharing my first frost myth. ❤
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Your imagination is awesome Colleen! Love the gift of Astrid that we all see around sometimes. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Balroop. I am loving this flash fiction. Really makes you think. 😀
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Harvesting the intangible…brilliant, Colleen. The harvest moon pic is perfect.
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Thanks, Van! I’ve been working on a book with a friend. I’ve been having a blast writing myths. ❤
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What a lovely thought, Colleen 🙂
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I’m writing myths, so this was perfect. 😀
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Harvesting wishes and dreams…what a wonderful image! (K)
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Thank you. 🔮🦄
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That gave me such a wonderful chill… Considering it’s been hotter than the hinges of hell all week… This is a great tale and I pulled me right in. You are so good at this.
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Thanks so much. I’m having a blast. You should try. It’s like writing a story in Haiku. 😉❤️
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A story in haiku! That’s a great description! Yes, it is like that.
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Flash fiction is so like Haiku. I am going to feature your October writing challenge on my Poetry challenge with that comparison. ❤
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Oh, I love it! Thank you! As I’m sure you’ve discovered with haiku, it’s a wonderful window to creativity.
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Oh, yes. I’m treating my flash fiction that way also. ❤
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I love the idea of harvesting wishes and dreams! 🙂
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Thanks. It came to me in a flash. Intuition is so creative. ❤️
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This is so beautiful, magical 🙂
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Many thanks. I’m happy you enjoyed. ❤️
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A beautiful, magical story Colleen. Well done.
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Many thanks, Brigid. Poetry, flash fiction, what fun this all is. I love it. ❤
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Clever to write your flash as occurring after the crops are in and yet it’s a vision to bring in more. Nice concrete details, too. I felt I was there with Astrid.
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Thank you. I believe your challenge is inspiring me to new heights. Thanks for that. 🙏🏻❤️
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Bravo, Colleen. This is magical and beautiful.
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Thanks, Viva. It was cold enough to have frost this morning but we didn’t. I did smile over my morning coffee. ❤️
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Brilliant! 😎😎😎😎😎
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Thanks, Dorna. Glad you enjoyed.
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This is lovely, Colleen. You certainly brought your own style to play in this piece.
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Thank you, Robbie. I’m using the longer versions of these stories in a book so it has made me do some writing that I love. ❤
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A micro-myth! I love it.
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Thanks, Lisa. It was fun to write. ❤
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