Life | Susan's Place

Sep 18

5 Comments

Down by the River

This poem is for Crimson’s Creative Challenge #45.

CCC#45

Standing on the shoreline I gaze across the river

The day is chilly but yet I stay put and shiver

Daydreaming with memories of my childhood

Of all the times when I’d come here to collect driftwood

The water back then was always choppy

We’d ride down to the river in my father’s jalopy

I come here now to reminisce

Here is where we had our first kiss

So many wonderful memories

Over half a century

This has to be my favorite place

Memories that I’ll always embrace

© Susan Zutautas 2019

The Gift of Life

It’s storytime once again over at Carrot Ranch.

In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes the greatest gift. Answer it as if it were a question, or show what it could be. Go where the prompt leads you!

Sept 12 Flash Fiction

The gift of life

Was given to me

Not once, not twice, but three times

Cancer can be a killer

I’ve escaped it

I am forever grateful

I’ve fought hard over the years

To survive and the fighting paid off

I will never give in to this horrible disease

That takes far too many lives every day

Remission does not mean it won’t come back

If it does, I will do battle again

Miracles happen

I’m proof of that

Live each day as if it were your last

Whether you’re battling or not

Life is truly the greatest gift

© Susan Zutautas 2019

Aug 20

19 Comments

CT Scan Results

daveynin from United States [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Marvelous news day

Results are in and I’m clear

Feeling terrific

© Susan Zutautas

This was written for RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #267

Aug 20

The Twisted Cross

Image by alan9187 from Pixabay

She yelled at me loud

Obviously, cross today

Twisted story heard

What was it you heard?

As I twisted my long hair

The cross is missing

From where I asked her

The alters cross at the church

That is a twisted lie

© Susan Zutautas 2019

This was written for RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #266 Twisted&Cross

Aug 7

21 Comments

An Act of Kindness – Bus Fare

montreal-3633198_1920

Image by Christophe Schindler from Pixabay Montreal Skyline

Back in the late sixties, yes, the nineteen sixties, bus fare or often called car fare for an adult was thirty-five cents and for anyone twelve and under it was ten cents.

This was a time when parents felt it was safe for children, say around the ages of ten and up to travel by transit unaccompanied by an adult and I would travel from Verdun to downtown Montreal which was about a twenty-five-minute ride by car so a little longer by public transit.

This one day I (age 12) was returning home and waiting at the bus stop digging in my pocket to make sure I had my dime to put in the farebox.

Remembering back, I was talking to this older woman who was quite nice when my bus pulled up and we said good-bye to each other as she was taking a different bus.

I stepped up and deposited my dime when the bus driver said to me, you’re a quarter short young lady, to which I replied, I’m only twelve and he wouldn’t believe me making me get off the bus returning my dime to me.

Standing watching the bus drive away I explained to the nice lady I was talking to earlier what had just happened, and she reached into her purse and gave me a thirty-five cent bus ticket so that I could go home.

© Susan Zutautas 2019

This short story was written for Six Sentence Story over at GirlieOnTheEdge. This weeks challenge is to use the word FARE.

Jul 29

16 Comments

For One Day – Flash Fiction

Flash fiction July 25

Daydreaming about my mother is something I do quite often. What was she like, how did she smell, what would it have been like to have her with me other than for just a few short years?

My mind started wandering and for one day I had her all to myself. My emotions got the best of me and through tears of joy I embraced every moment. The love I felt was like no other.

We laughed, we cried, we hugged, we never wanted the day to end.

Although this is only daydreaming, I often return to this day.

© Susan Zutautas 2019

This piece is written for a flash fiction challenge over at Carrot Ranch. Charli’s prompt this week is as follows:

In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes the phrase “for one day.”

Jul 11

23 Comments

A Lucky Day

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

I’m feeling lucky today so let’s go to the casino.

Nah, I never win, and my horoscope says my money is low, but you can go, I don’t mind staying home.

Just for half an hour, come with me and I’ll buy you a beer.

We went and a slot machine had my attention, so I had to play it, but the twenty I put in rapidly went down.

See, what did I tell you, I never win, I have no luck at all.

Then on the last spin, the machine burst into wild spins and ended up paying $220.00.

************************************

This Six Sentence Story was written for a challenge over at Denise’s. This weeks word prompt is “BURST”

Jul 8

6 Comments

Persistence Pays Off

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #56

This weeks challenge is “Language”

French was not a favorite subject of Katie’s and she hated the homework that went with the class.

She’d bring home her homework and her mother would always insist on helping her with French as she was failing the class. Her mother would make her write out un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, and so on until she’d hit one hundred. Katie did this for a month hating her mother for making her do this.

Then there was practicing the language itself. Not only did Katie have to write out sentences, but she also had to memorize them and translate them into English.

At the end of the school year, Katie received an award in French for “Most Improved French Student”. Everything her mother made her do, paid off in the end with persistence.

Jul 4

20 Comments

Down at the Plant

Bombardier Main engineering building and assembly plant

Every person at the plant was wondering what the upcoming meeting was going to be about.

Some suspected a big layoff as the work that was coming in was sparse and the fact that all overtime had been suspended for the last month had them worried.

The managers and supervisors were all in the dark too and were being asked by several people what was going on and all they’d say was everyone would find out at the meeting after lunch.

Gathered all together anticipating the worst the employees sat in silence waiting for the CEO to begin.

“Hello everyone, I know you’re all wondering why I called this meeting today and for what purpose.”

“First, off next month we’re getting in a big contract to process and we’ll be needing all hands on deck and I want you all to be prepared for overtime hours and if you had vacation time booked, it is now canceled.”

This short story was written for Six Sentence Story over at Denise’s. The prompt word for this week is PROCESS.

PR

Jul 2

4 Comments

All Alone Reflecting

Gabriel Isak

All

Alone

Reflecting

Choices she made

Sadly, hurting some

Not intentionally

Regretting it every day

Wanting to make amends with some

The ones she absolutely did love

Forgiveness does not always come easy

This Etheree is a poetry form that consists of 10 lines of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 syllables was written in response to a challenge over at Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #270.