Overheard at Table 3: Riding High Center

One thing about extremists, at least they're not stuck in the middle.

Yeah, but they often get stuck in a rut.

True, true.

Overheard at Table 2: Sparrow Remembers Her Grandpa

Sparrow had fond memories of Grandpa.

"I remember one time, I was maybe 14,15, and I was staying at their house, and I asked Grandpa if he had any pain reliever, and he went into the bathroom and looked in the cupboard and he would always do funny things, like he wouldn't say Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen, he said, 'We've got I See the Medicine and we've got I Be Profane.  Which one you want?'"

And I said, "I actually need some My Doll."

And he said, "Aw, your Grandma hasn't needed any of that for about ten years."

And Grandma yells from the kitchen, "She doesn't care to know that, Owen!"

.

.

.

#vss365 

#prompt

#Sparrow

Overread at Table 1: Poem of the Day - Stop Saying "He Shoulda Complied"

Stop Saying "He Shoulda Complied"

If you don't comply,
you die.

If you do comply,
you still die.

So why
even try?

Overheard at Table 3: Deacon Sermon Notes

2025-0720

 

Matthew 14 - Why do you doubt?

Fourth watch, sometime between 3am and 6am

Psalm 46:1

Distazo

Distazo-

 

James 1:6

Isaiah 41:13

 

Concourse with Animaniacs

 

 

Overheard at Booth 2: Deacon Sermon Notes

2025-0615

Colossenses 3:17-41

Agape

Ephesians 5

Dulos

1 Corinth 7:21

Eph 5:28

Rom 13 - submit to government authorities

1 John 4:19

Submission looks like respect and leadership looks like love.

 

 

Overheard at Table 3: FOX 8 Book Review

One of the praise quotes on the back reads "Not since Twain has American produced a satirist this funny" which is not true, as the 20th Century produced quite a few satirists who could be considered closer to Twain in humor.   However, since this is the only story I've read by George Saunders, perhaps I should reserve my opinion until I have read other works by him.

That said, let's focus on the story: it's good.  Sadly, not earth-shattering, and truly not all that original, although the premise is quite nice - a fox who has taught himself human language, both in speech and in writing, and is writing this story as a sort of "wake-up call" to Yumans.

In this, we see the devastation to the home of Fox 8 and the other foxes in his den by human creation of a mall and housing addition, much along the lines of what we saw in the movie "Over the Hedge"  and in truth, this story could be expanded into a novella length along the lines of the other great anthropomorphic books (Charlotte's Web comes to mind, as well as another book I once read from the 19th century whose title escapes me at the moment).   

There is a very dark scene in which his friend, Fox 7, is kicked to death brutally by two human workers, and I still can't tell if that scene if egregious (simply there for shock value) or if it makes a salient point about the mindless cruelty of human beings.  The fact that the rest of the story is lighter by comparison truly makes that scene stand out.

While there are some happy moments in the story (the image of the other fox dancing when she tells him that she doesn't want their future cubs to have a grumpy dad), ultimately the story leaves one unfulfilled.   In short, the story's too short.  Needs to be a bit more.  Again, a novella, perhaps.

But, it's a quick read for waiting in the doctor's office, which is much better than doomscrolling through one's phone, so there's that.

Overheard at the Counter: Some Scribbles

 Scribbles

2025-0504
#Erotica280 #1212 Response
    She wrote a poem
    and he wrote a reponse
    
    Their words danced
    and swayed

    back and forth
    step by step

    hand in hand
    across the room

    of negative space
    infinite wireless
    connections
    
#Erotica280 #1218 Xanadu

On her couch, some clothes unbuttoned,
she asked me what I thought of Xanadu.

So I told her of her pleasure domes
and fertile grounds,
to be watered by sacred rivers
blossom those incense bearing trees!

and she
said, “I mean the Olivia Newton-John movie.
I’m in an 80s mood.”

Well, I thought,
as I looked for it on Prime,
at least she wasn’t talking about
that god-awful Rush song.






#horrorprompt 1812 Game

“It’s just a GAME!” Artichokie said
as he brought the bat down on the man’s head.
“Why do you keep shouting at Aiden?”

“I’m … I’m sorry!” said the man,
holding up a hand,
begging him to stop.

Another crack, across the jaw.
Teeth flew against the basement wall.

“Every game!  You tell  your son
to run.  Run here!  Run there!  What the hell
Aiden, you scream, Get your head in the game!

Well, Carver, is YOUR head in the game NOW?”

The bat came down
again
and again

but Carver didn’t respond.
He didn’t hold up a hand
begging to stop.
Carver was out.

He would never yell at Aiden
again






#horrorprompt 1811 Bone Cracker

At Fort McCoy, they were getting ready
for the orders to move on Chicago.

Clear out the sanctuary city.

They knew they’d face some pushback,
so they painted names on their tanks,
names like:

Tianenmen
Bone Cracker
Matamojados







#horrorprompt 1810 Electrode

As they put the electrodes on my skull,
I knew that they were going to change my
brainwaves.  They said they were just going
to test my sleep patters, but I knew they were
up to much, much more, but still
my wife held my hand and said it was going to be
ok and I wanted to make her happy and now
I’m awake and she’s not around and they are
telling me that she died years ago but
they were wrong she was
JUST
HERE



#horrorprompt 1809 Drill

The last thing I remember was them putting the drill against my kneecap but I didn’t have anything to tell them that I hadn’t already told them but now I know that it was never about knowledge or information it was only about pain and they destroyed me for no other reason that that they could