Words for Wednesday
The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles. Sadly, Delores has now closed her blog forever due to other problems.
The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along to read it and add a few encouraging words.
This month the words/prompts are supplied by Sean Jeating and can be found here
This week's words/prompts are:
1.squad 2.cemetery 3.flowers 4.painted 5.cross
and/or:
1.barely 2.money 3.eat 4.freedom 5.courage
use either list or both, or mix and match, just have fun.
Charlotte's colour of the month is Heavenly Blue if you choose to use it.
My own story will appear on this blog on Friday 21st
I’ll be working on it.
ReplyDeletemessymimi; I look forward to reading.
DeleteIn the morning hours of 8 September 1986, shortly after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on General Pinochet, José Carrasco, editor of the magazine Análisis, was kidnapped from his flat and shot by a death squad at a cemetery wall.
ReplyDeleteThe cemetery wall became a site of resistance. Residents of the adjacent poor quarter painted the wall white and decorated it with flowers.
At first, policemen came every night, painted the wall black, tore out the flowers, even sawed off an iron cross the poor of Caonchali had put up.
There, people who barely had enough money to eat, let alone buy newspapers, demanded freedom of speech and honoured the courage of the journalist and his colleagues.
Take my words as a tribute to all those who had, have and will have the courage to speak out against injustice, arbitrariness and totalitarianism of any kind.
I am not sure I would have been or would be so courageous.
The peace of the night.
Una història molt cruel que ha passat a massa llocs.
DeleteLa llibertat d'expressió fa nosa al poder i l'única manera de combatre aquestes barbaritats és no deixar que s'oblidin.
Bona nit, Sean.
Sean Jeating; this is very excellent, a true story? I also am one who is not at all courageous, preferring to lock doors and windows and hope it all passes me by. I wish I were different and am thankful for those who are.
DeleteI didn´t know about this - sad, brave story - I wouldn´t be so courageous, either...
DeleteHi River and Sean - thanks for including the life of Jose Carrasco Tapia - like you I'd have never, I'm fairly sure, been brave enough to stand up to the authoritarian regime, or similar in this day and age. Interesting mix of words - cheers Hilary
DeleteHilary; I had never heard of him until now.
Delete@ Paula – This year so far 50 journalists have been killed and 488 are detained (Source: Reporters without Borders).
DeleteOut of fear for their lives, some journalists operate with a censor's filter (scissors in their head) after colleagues are murdered – one of the murderers and censors goals.
@ River – Yes, and I was just describing one example. Courageous journalists and so-called dissidents have always been my role models.
@ Iris – Sometimes people develop unexpected courage. ;-)
@ Hilary – The older I get, the less time I have for (fearful) diplomacy. ;-)
It is infuriating and I wish there was a way to put a stop to it.
DeleteI fear there is none, Mimi. (Wo-)Man is (Wo-)man's enemy. Obviously.
DeleteCombined with greed and power.
DeleteWow this was excellent and my kind of story.
DeleteExellent. I feel like citing myself from a long time blog post:
DeleteOne of my favourite poets, Halfdan Rasmussen is famous for his playful and equilibristic poems for children. But he had a serious side too; he wrote poems filled with social indignation and courage. This verse was translated into English (by Mary McGovern?) and Roger Waters used it as the first verse of his Each Small Candle:
Not the torturer will scare me
Nor the body's final fall
Nor the barrels of death's rifles
Nor the shadows on the wall
Nor the night when to the ground
The last dim star of pain, is held
But the blind indifference
Of a merciless unfeeling world.
I have never heard of this and it is quite sad.
Delete@ Annie – Thank you.
Delete@ Charlotte – Thanks so much.
The poem is fitting; especially in a time when indifference and stupidity allow criminal psychopaths to be elected president.
And imagine the white wall painted heavenly blue. ;-)
Cemetery ... Great word to add.
ReplyDeleteThe Happy Whisk; I like cemeteries, I find them peaceful, though the graves of young children make me sad.
DeleteI agree with you. The little ones are harder on me as well.
DeleteHmmm, maybe I can think of something but I soon have to take off to the company - in 3C, brrr, my brain is in freeze already! Looking forward to yours on Friday!!!
ReplyDeleteIris; wear lots of warm clothes and a woolly hat. Do you have boots? 3C? I am very glad my parents moved to Australia!
DeleteI went in sneakers... it´s unusually cold for November... usually real cold is there in February.
DeleteYes, lucky you you went to Australia.
We are having a cold November too, when I meet people from other flats going to and from the shops we all say we are so sick of being cold and wearing winter clothes.
DeleteI gathered the SQUAD together for a visit to the CEMETERY to visit one of our friends in the graveyard who had PAINTED our room at the headquarters and died one month ago. I suggested we take some FLOWERS, visit and see that the CROSS was placed in the correct position on the headstone, we noticed when the burial was done some of headstones were a little bit crooked!
ReplyDeleteMargaret D; this is very good, thank you for joining in. I have seen plenty of crooked headstones, it happens when what is buried disintegrates and the soil settles.
DeleteBon ús de les paraules. ;-)
DeleteWhen the coffins decay, the earth sinks.You could also say: the earth is alive. ;-)
DeleteVery nicely done! Headstones can shift, too, especially where the ground is unstable.
DeleteThank you :)
DeleteCrookde headstones happen with earth setting, or with frost and thaw. They need to be straightened regularly. Good for you gathering the squad for a visit.
DeleteWell done Margaret ... it's good someone was looking out for her/him ... cheers Hilary
DeleteHi River and Sean -
ReplyDeleteThe squad car rushed into the cemetery grounds, squishing flowers … mashing them into painted splodges – except appropriately the coloured area ended up looking like a cross.
I barely moved, I had no money, nothing to eat today … I was desperate for the courage to seek my freedom … I wonder if those squadies would help … who knows – another day perhaps only looking at the heavenly blue above.
Thanks Sean and River – cheers Hilary
Hilary: Good use of words. ;-)
DeleteI hope you won't have to go to bed with a rumbling stomach tonight. ;-)
DeleteNicely done, and a bit sad.
DeleteHilary; I hope the squad car wasn't chasing you, but perhaps coming to help.
DeleteI loved this. Interesting and very succinct.
DeleteNicely done - and sad.
DeleteThanks all - nope my stomach thankfully, Sean, is not rumbling! Just an imaginative person lost to most of us ... hidden away from the world ... not wanting to be caught ... cheers Hilary
DeleteÀNIMES PERDUDES
ReplyDeleteArribà al vell CEMENTIRI en caure la tarda. Les ombres de les làpides s'allargaven mentre la lluna, a penes visible, il·luminava les FLORS pansides que creixien entre les tombes. Amb aquell ESQUADRÓ d'ombres que l'envoltava, inquiet i afamat AMB PROU FEINES podia contenir el tremolor a les mans per sostenir una petita CREU, PINTADA en un tros de paper descolorit pel temps. Els DINERS que havia guanyat en els seus treballs anteriors no significaven res ara, l'única cosa que desitjava era la LLIBERTAT d'un passat que el turmentava. Cada nit, aquestes ànimes perdudes, invocaven el seu dret a MENJAR les seves pors. Mentre recordava els dies on no tenia cap preocupació, el seu cor es va omplir de CORATGE. Va mirar cap al cel, on un BLAU CELESTIAL es barrejava amb el dolor de la memòria. Sabia que havia d'enfrontar la seva veritat, encara que això signifiqués tornar a aquell lloc que tant havia intentat oblidar.
Aquí vos deixo el meu relat.
Gràcies!
Very nicely done. If we don't face the fears, it only gets worse.
Deletesa lluna; this is very sad and I hope the man finds some peace. Good story, I could almost feel the cold of the night.
Deletemessymimi : Com diu un amic meu "por a la por". Gràcies!
DeleteRiver: D'alguna manera ha d'enfrontar la por per trobar la pau. Moltes gràcies!
Brava! Enticing story. I hope he finds his peace. And thanks for using my colour.
DeleteCharlotte: Moltes gràcies! Esperem que la trobi aviat. Com pots veure, sempre intento posar el teu color. ;-)
DeleteWell described, Paula.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably how it is when the demons of the past creep into our present.
Sean: Saber aturar-los és important, però no sempre es pot.
DeleteMoltes gràcies! ;-)
These are some interesting words.
ReplyDeleteAnd? ...
DeleteDVArtist; like Sean, I say "and?" and hope you might write something.
Deletehttps://granan10.blogspot.com/2025/11/words-for-wednesday-11-19-2025.html
ReplyDeleteELEMENTERY SCHOOL PRIVATE SCHOOL PROTEST
I was never sure if the band of sisters would qualify as a SQUAD. The five gathered carrying FLOWERS at the local scary CEMETERY, each carrying a HEAVENLY BLUE PAINTED CROSS. Suzette was the videographer and was determined to capture the march and point out the meaning of the mission. They believed the school would take notice of the efforts they put into this march and give them what they wanted.
This girl's march was depicting COURAGE as they fought for the FREEDOM at the stuffy school. The food they were given to EAT was deplorable. They had carried many petitions to the head mistress of the school pointing out all the MONEY their parents paid for them to attend.
The band of sisters were BARELY out the gates of the graveyard before a gathering of local police blocked the march. The ten-year old girls were quickly disbanded and moved individually back to the school and to classes. As they each entered a classroom the remaining students began to chant and clap for these brave young women.
Suzette did a brilliant job with the video and it was handed down to new classes every year in complete secret.
Well done, I hope they got what they wanted, and thanks for using my colour.
DeleteGranny Annie; nicely done, but I am sorry the police blocked the march. I do hope the headmistress takes note and at least improves the food they are getting.
DeleteNow that was a use of the prompts surprising me.
DeleteThanks for a fine read, Annie.
Granny Annie: Bonica història de valentia i compromís. Bon ús de les paraules!
DeleteHi Granny Annie - yes well done ... I can imagine a St Trinian's type film coming out of this. I sure hope things improved and that secret video tape can remain hidden for ...??? ever! Cheers Hilary
DeleteMy grumpy election edition of Words for Wednesday has gone live.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte; I'll be right over...
DeleteCharlotte: Llegit i comentat. ;-)
DeleteMy take on the prompts is here: Ghosts in Need. It's a bit long since I'm using three weeks of prompts. Somehow the more prompts I try to fit in, the longer it gets.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prompts. They get me thinking.
Have a lovely day.