Sheila Deeth Drabbles

January drips - 25

2012-01-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

As they talked, feet wandered. As they walked, streetschanged. Deep minds pondered why Mulder and Skully couldn’t find her, while sherewrote the script.

January drips - 24

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

I resolved to be good each new year, marking my diary for everyday I succeeded, then giving up when the diary remained pristinely unblemished.

January drips - 23

2012-01-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

“You share my bus-pass. We’ll share your fare,” said the friend.Oddly enough, the bus inspector didn’t seem impressed by her attempts tojustify non-payment.

January drips - 22

2012-01-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

With secret skill, he nudged delicious treats from shelf tohand to share with friends. “I’d hate to get you in trouble,” said theshopkeeper.

January drips - 21

2012-01-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

“Are you happy enough?” “Yes,” said he and came home to hiswife every night, never speaking of what went before, or of the war.

january drips - 20

2012-01-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

“Are you willing enough?” “Yes,” said the lover, telling thetruth, replacing the other who’d died. To be at her side was all he desired.

January drips - 19

2012-01-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

“Are you clean enough?” “Yes,” said the young man, lying ofcourse. Mother washed him in lye. She’d given his clothes away. “Knew you’ddie.”

January drips - 18

2012-01-18T16:20:00.000-08:00

“Are you old enough?” “Yes,” said the boy, lying of course, sothey sent him to war. The girl he loved had answered him no.

January drips - 17

2012-01-17T16:11:00.001-08:00

“I have a dream.” There’s power in words, and promises inhope. Let’s dream a world where black, white, rich, poor, sick and healthycope.

January drips - 16

2012-01-17T15:56:00.001-08:00

Two countries beginning with A treated people badly. Iwished England wasn’t Angleterre in French. I wished I didn’t confuse NorthAmerica with South Africa.

January drips - 15

2012-01-17T15:55:00.001-08:00

I learned black and white people die in America whilewatching black-and-white TV in England. My mother cried. I wondered why thisdream wasn’t reality.

January drips - 14

2012-01-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

The problem with parties, thought the vampire, is someoneate my goldfish. So he drank fish-water to clear his salted palate, then ateanother date.

January drips - 13

2012-01-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

The problem with people, thought the goldfish jailed in hisbowl at the New Year’s Eve party, is they fish for snacks in silly places.

January drips - 12

2012-01-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

The problem with vampires, thought the party girl dressed asa goldfish, is you never can tell if they’re real till it’s much too late.

January drips - 11

2012-01-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

The problem with goldfish, thought the vampire, surveyingthe New Years’ Eve bar, is you can’t find their throats, so he bit his dateinstead.

January drips - 10

2012-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

By the end of the year Divideby Zero will be in paperback. That goal’s easy to keep—thank Stonegarden,Kristofer, and Shirley, Peter too!

January drips - 9

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

By the end of the year I’ll have lists of places to send mystories to and they won’t all say no; say maybe… maybe.

January drips - 8

2012-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

By the end of the year I’ll be awake enough to make a betterplan… write better sequels… advertise and sell to lots more people.

January drips - 7

2012-01-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

By the end of the year I’ll be an author with books in thestores and speaking and signing engagements and readers galore… Dreaming…Snores…

January drips - 6

2012-01-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Our first house didn’t have bedrooms opening wall-less tothe stairs, but my first memory did. So did Gran’s house when Mom was a kid.

January drips - 5

2012-01-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Some kids are scared of monsters under the bed, but I’dhidden there lots of times; nothing but dust and storage boxes… and spiders… Aghghgh!

January drips - 4

2012-01-04T10:34:00.001-08:00

In my earliest memory I tear strips of wall-paper off andpile them in my crib. Can I claim it as signs of early artistry?

January drips - 3

2012-01-04T10:32:00.001-08:00

Some kids don’t talk. They scream, eternally. I took him to afriend’s loud house in desperation, longing for peace. Loud music. He fellasleep.

January drips - 2

2012-01-04T10:31:00.001-08:00

The strong silent type, our second child, cried to be leftalone. He watched us silently, played without sound, then one day announced, “A-wantTed-dy.”

January drips - 1

2012-01-04T10:30:00.001-08:00

His first word was GaGa, to everything, everyone: Mom, Gran,Granddad, Daddy too. Until the day he said Dada to an orang-utan at the zoo.

Christmas Drips 1 - 31

2011-12-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's cheating, but I've got a whole series of drips for December so I'm posting them all in one as a special Christmas post. 25 words per drip. Hope you enjoy them. And Merry Christmas !

1. Light, a flash, a star, a planet; water splashedfrom rain to sea. Green things grew, skies turned blue, birds flew, presaginganimals and man.

2. Light, creative flash of glory; man and womantell the story; all of science balanced perfectly. Don’t eat that fruit, orelse the balance breaks.

3. Smoky meat burned on the fire. Smoky bread, lesserdesire. Grain-grower spurned the shepherd, killed, and spilled blood fed theearth, but God will save.[i]

4. Villages grow by river’s flow, caring, sharing,learning seed and hoe, till rivers go. Just when sunshine burned them dry,Noah’s flood raised waters high.

5. We’ll build a tower to heaven they said butcouldn’t agree on how. My way. This way. Obey. Or not, leaving the tower torot.

6. King of a city? Cheddar[ii]guy’s king of a tribe and the cities are razed. King of a castle? Abrahamrescued his nephew. Melchisedek prayed.

7. Doing no more sin than everyone else—than God’sown people did[iii]—it’sthe way of the world. Then Sodom and Gomorrah burned and died.

8. If you loved Him you’d give Him your son. Proveundying faith by sacrifice. Or by obedience. God provided Abraham a ram,provides the Lamb.

9. Cheated his brother, deceived his father, ranaway from his mother, least of the low. Then Jacob saw stairways to heaven; Godraised him high.

10. Little brother drove his siblings crazy so theysold him. Little slave believed and prayed, let God interpret dreams, thensaved the world, including brothers.

11. Build a city. Name it after me. Where shall itbe? Find some builders. Turn them into slaves. Who shall they be? Ah,shepherds! Mine.

12. The women always cause trouble. Pharaoh’sdaughter fell in love with the baby and brought it up. Dear Moses. NowGranddad’s[iv]going to get him.

13. Run away. Give up your dreams, your hope, yourpeople. See. But fiery mountain, burning bush, and God—“I am”—sent Moses backto save.

14. One rule—don’t eat that tree. Ten commandments.623 laws. One rule—love God alone. One law—love your neighbor; God loves yourneighbor too.

15. Twelve tribes; they split and recombine; theytake the land, ally, and re-ally—somewhere along the line forgot—alliance withGod’s people means with God.

16. One nation under God and king, and from his line,his tribe, his town where shepherd tended flocks, the Lamb will come. Hispeople watch.

17. The enemy’s at the door, the army’s at thegates, and more. The prophet smiles and promises a child, called “God with us.”God saves.

18. The people were enslaved, but that’s okay. Theyhad good food, good jobs; just follow different gods and prosper here. Or feedthe royal lions.

19. He saw the future, statues, kingdoms, saw themrise and fall, and over all, he saw one like the Son of Man who saves us.

20. Exiles return. New enemies burn. Oil’s gone andthe candle’s burned dim. Sufferers pray. God wins the day. Eight days and theirvictory’s in Him.

21. The noisy wife begged, “Pray for a child.” Thenoisy priest planned his speech. The quiet angel promised a son and the fatherfell silent.

22. The prophet promised a maiden’s child. The angelpromised it too. Then maiden carried the heavenly babe all wrapped in a humanwomb. Rejoice. Rejoice.

23. Astrologers promised a glorious king. The starsproclaimed it too. Then wise men rode the desert wide to find where heaven’sholy child might lie.

24. Shepherds watched their flocks by night. Gloryshone around too bright. Then shepherds cried, afraid. “Fear not.” God’s angelpromised hope, an infant born tonight.

25. No room at the uncle’s, the aunt’s, the friend’sor the lodging house. No room but the stable; it’s warm; there the baby wasborn.

26. He fled to Egypt—Moses fled from there. He livedin poverty like David did. He healed the sick as prophets did before. He is…

27. He read God’s word, declared it now fulfilled.He slipped away from crowns’n crowds. He stilled the storm, as only God can do.He is…

28. He raised the dead. He gave sight to the blind,opened men’s ears. He rode a donkey when they offered warriors and war. He is…

29. He is the Lamb. He gave his flesh as food. He isthe Man. He gave his blood as wine. He answered them, “I am.”

30. My every sin led to the cross, my every lie athorn, my pride a sword to pierce his side. My savior died for me.

31. On the third day He rose. Though soldierswatched and politicians planned, though dreamers ran away. On the third day Herose. So shall we.

[i]Abel sacrificed meat to God while Cain sacrificed grain. Jealous of God’sseeming acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice, Cain killed his brother.

[ii] WhileLot lived in Sodin, the Cities of the Plain rebelled against Chedolaomer whomarched down on them, taking their kings and people hostage. Abraham led analliance of nomads to the rescue, and Melchisedek, king of Salem, made anoffering of bread and wine to the most high God.

[iii]Judges 19

[iv]If the Pharaoh’s daughter was Moses’ mother, the Pharaoh must be his Granddad.