The Gentle Coals

By Aileen Hayward














(An exercise: to write a piece starting with this first line:)

The rouged coals languished long after midnight
Where gentle heat kissed the cooling air
Soft darkness mantled the chairs and table
And fine bone china gleamed silently there.

Soft spoken words and innocent laughter
Had graced the day in this family room
As matters of import had full discussion
And busy fingers had worked the loom.

“Oh hasten the day when the spring is with us”
She’d smiled to him with her eyes downcast
“These coals I have brought will warm and cheer you”
He vowed “and the fire I build will last.”

He stacked the fire, and hot tea was offered
These two young people so safe in their dream
Her Mama served scones with jam from the orchard
And cream from the cows that stood safe by the stream.

And gentle was he as he made his departure
And gracious the maid as he kissed her hand
So gentle the coals as they kept his promise
To warm the room in this winterland.

There is no question for coals to answer
When faced with a task they are meant to serve
There is no need in the midnight’s stillness
To fret as hands travel the clock face curve.

Should we move slowly and softly eager
To tread more gently upon this earth
The coals in our hearts would stay rouged after midnight
And we would discover creation’s worth.

Clichés

By Eddie Blatt






Clichés aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. Unless of course you have an axe to grind. Take my wife for instance. Please. She went out in a blaze of glory. Kicked the bucket, bit the dust, gone to meet her maker. She was only 30 when she cashed in her chips. Didn’t stand a chance. She thought she was God’s gift to mankind. But really she was skating on thin ice. The tide had finally turned and she was up shit creek without a paddle. Oh well, here today, gone tomorrow.

The first time I saw her she was dressed to the nines. I was struck by a bolt from the blue.

“Cat got your tongue?” she said to me.

I was caught off guard but I knew the score. I had to sweep her off her feet or she wouldn’t give me a second glance.

“You’re as pretty as a postcard,” I replied. “Haven’t I seen you before?”

God, I must have been dumber than a box of rocks, but hey, I was bent out of shape. I had already fallen for her, hook, line and sinker. Make no bones about it I was as mad as a hatter. But I had put my foot firmly in my mouth and had to think quick on my feet.

“Look,” I said, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“Save your breath,” she replied. “I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last man alive.”

I had made an ass of myself but it was now or never. I waited for the dust to settle then let fly with both guns blazing.

“Will you marry me?” I blurted out.

She looked like a stunned mullet. Then she suddenly broke out into a laugh. She had a smile as sweet as honey pie.

“Yes,” she said, “a hard man is good to find and you’re just what the doctor ordered.”

**

They say all’s fair in love and war. Take my wife for instance. Please. Well, my best mate did. He took her for every penny she had. Didn’t stand a chance. While she wasn’t looking he took off like the clappers, money and all. He was out of there like a rat up a drainpipe. Off like a piece of gorgonzola. Can’t say she didn’t have it coming. Served her right. In the end she didn’t have two nickels to rub together. Not a zack to her name. The walls were closing in on her and she drove her car off a bridge. What a way to go.

I didn’t see it coming. When all’s said and done, however, come hell or high water, I knew which side my bread was buttered. Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. All in all, I thank my lucky stars.

When push comes to shove, it’s love that isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. But it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. Amen.