Flash Friday Fiction: Poetic Justice

Demolition. CC2.0 photo by Maureen Didde.
Demolition. CC2.0 photo by Maureen Didde.

Poetic Justice – 150 words

“There once was a man from Nantucket…”

No, no, no. That will never do.

“Once Upon A Midnight Dreary…”

Right. Like THAT’s never been done before. Nevermore.

“Oh, Sally Sue, I love you true,
My love is never ending.
That you and I and Phil and Stu…”

Phil and Stu? WTF?

“‘Twas once a time ago I thought I felt
A glimmering of love so true for you.
Beneath your tender gaze, I thought I’d melt,
Right down into a big green pile of goo…”

Ugh. I’m certainly no Shakespeare.

“So that night that you and I, like, got totally drunk and smashed face and stuff? That was the Best. Night. Ever. Could we, uh, totally do it again?”

Not exactly poetry. But truth.

*ping*

She texted me!

“Roses are red, violets are blue,
Never again do I want to see you.”

Crap. Figures. She’s a better poet than I.


We had 150 (+/- 10) words to draft a story inspired in some way by this week’s book:  Douglas Adams’ wacky scifi classic, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which the rather ordinary but not overly eager to be annihilated human Arthur Dent is swept away on galactic adventures.

Not claiming this is my Best. Work. Ever, but after missing last week, I just couldn’t stomach the idea of not writing this week – even though I’m eyebrows deep in edits for A Matter of Time. Of the story element choices below, I picked “the worst poet in the universe,” and “foolishness/miscommunication.” Though in hindsight, I’m wishing I’d worked the number 42 in there somewhere…

Story elements (base your story on any TWO of these elements; be sure to tell us which two you chose. Reminder: please remember the Flash! Friday guidelines with regard to content; and remember please do not use copyrighted characters).

* Conflict: man v man (not gender or species specific)
Character (choose at least one): an ordinary person swept away on an epic adventure; a depressed robot; the worst poet in the universe; a charismatic hedonistic narcissist; a professional hitchhiker
Theme (choose one): satire, foolishness, science, adventure, miscommunication
Setting (choose one): a house about to be bulldozed; a spaceship; an odd restaurant


Take an epic adventure yourself on over to Flash Friday Fiction, and read (and perhaps comment) on some of the other amazing flash stories – or, you know, like, totally craft one of your own!!!