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Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

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October 2023

Shaggy, Shaggy, Shaggy

There’re dogs named Shaggy,

And there’re shaggy dogs.

There are even shaggy cats,

My Maine Coon, Big’n, for one.

There is Shaggin’ on the Boulevard,

referring to dancing in the street.

There are heads of hair that look shaggy

Because they need a cut,

Or because they are cut that way.

There are shagbark hickory trees

And willow trees whose branches hang like shaggy hair.

Remember the shag rug era in the seventies,

When Moms took hours to vacuum

The shag in the same direction?

And then daughters who walked circular footprints on them,

Got grounded for their efforts.

Written in response to Charli Mills October 17, 2023, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about something shaggy. It can be carpet, a hair-do, or some sort of critter. How can something shaggy steer the story? Go where the prompt leads!

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You Can Walk Again

Michael, wearing shorts so his leg stumps showed, was speaking to new amputees. He looked forlorn, sitting on the platform between his wheelchair and prostheses. After being introduced, he started talking in an unsure voice. He demonstrated how to get in his chair and then how to attach his legs. Continuing to share his story with a stronger voice, he stood and took one step at a time across the platform. He finished with, “If I had walked in with the confidence it took me two, yes, two years to gain, I would have intimidated you rather than helped.”

Written in response to Charli Mills October 10, 2023, prompt at Carrot Rnch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about confidence. Is a character confident or struggling? Why? Is confidence cultural, compelling, or conflicting? What is the value of confidence? Go where the prompt leads!

4

Stream of Conscience – Grass

A single blade of grass grows.

Have you ever watched a guinea pig eat a single blade of grass?

Their little mouth can move faster than you might imagine,

Then they look for another single blade of grass.

My Dad loved guinea pigs.

He had one after another, all named Whistles.

When they heard the fridge door open, they’d whistle for food and expect it.

Whistles didn’t like that wide, heavy grass with its sharp edges.

We kids used that to put between our two thumbs

and blow across to make it whistle.

It only took a single blade.

Written in response to Charli Mills September 26, 2023, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes a blade of grass. What can you compare it to? Or in contrast? Is it a character prop or a story linchpin? Go poetic, go any genre or tone. Go where the prompt leads!

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