The room flickered with the glow of dozens of candles. A chocolate fountain flowed silently on the nightstand. Thousands of red #rose petals covered every surface of the room. Pretty, but who the hell was going to clean up this romantic detritus? #vss365 #amwriting

The tick, tick, snap of the gas burner incites anticipation. Soon after comes the #frolic of garlic in impatient olive oil. Aromatics' shameless flirtation. Cooking's the recipe for happiness. #vss365 #amwriting

As the foliage burst like fireworks across rolling hillsides, I gazed at one tree standing in #defiance, refusing to change, holding true to it's magnificent verdant truth. Sure, it was a pine, but I truly admired its stubbornness among its trendy deciduous neighbors. #vss365 #amwriting

"That outfit is rather #revealing, don't you think?" "What ever do you mean?" "Why it's quite obvious." "Not to me, it isn't. This outfit is quite modest." "I can tell you had pie for dessert." "By my outfit?" "There's a chunk of #apple pie revealed upon your collar" #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Going #tenderly into the night by the hum of a V-8, rubber kissing a desert road as it shoots towards a forever horizon under a big blue moon. #vss365 #amwriting

Beleaguered mind weary from #apprehensive afternoons. #vss365 #amwriting

"Officer, I saw the whole thing." "Can you #describe the suspect?" "A gaunt, lanky man with pallid skin, not unlike a visage of death but with one exception: He bore a #florid style. Such bright clothing and an elegant air." "Man, I hate when writers are witnesses." #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Went for a walk to see the desert's beauty. Sand and scrub as far as the eye dares see. Peaceful walk turns treacherous. Lost by afternoon as birds start to circle. Hadn't planned on being the #carrion special of the day. Should have brought a phone and maybe some water. #vss365 #amwriting

"You want another drink?" "Maybe I should call it." "You ok?" "Maybe I've gone from regular to barfly." "I think you're in your own head too much." "Funny. I was thinking how the #grain of the bar top is as homey to me as a normal person's favorite rug." "I'll get your check." #vss365 #amwriting

Stubbed his toe. Broke a coffee cup. Bit his tongue. Stuck at a train crossing. Printer out of paper. Reboot computer. Printer out of ink. Only 9:30 a.m. Definitely a push on a door that says #pull kind of day. #vss365 #amwriting

Online shopping slowly killing brick and mortar. Spewing cash from the comfort of the couch instead of #lurching among fellow shoppers for things we've been told we need. Too bad there is no food court in my living room. #vss365 #amwriting

He was an odd cat. Most guys kept a hidden blade or a backup piece in an ankle holster. No, this dude made sure he always parked near a window so he could #defenstrate an enemy if need be. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

On Sundays, grandma would make a #batch of chocolate chip cookies and set them on the counter to cool. "You mustn't eat them until they're ready," she warned us. We obeyed. Not out of patience, but because she always forgot to put sugar in the recipe. #vss365 #amwriting

"Relax." "I'm fine." "You've had your fists #clenched for at least twenty minutes." "I'm good." "If there were money in teeth gnashing, you'd be a rich man. Have a slice of pie or something." "Too much sugar." "That stress will kill you first. A donut will set you free." #vss365 #amwriting

The curmudgeon retired after a lifetime of being annoyed by those in society with whom he was forced to associate. A hermit life for him, he found a cabin in a deep, quiet wood and for the first time began consuming #novels. He never expected to find empathy within. #vss365 #amwriting

Get a hobby, they said. Wasn't good at the arts. Sports wasn't my thing. Fishing and hunting seemed unfair to the animals. So, I just had to settle on collecting souls of devils. Spent the afternoon devastating a neighborhood on a particular #fiend. Still better than pickleball. #vss365 #amwriting

He had a history of giving his father terrible #gifts. Socks, ties, a homemade mug with a hole in the bottom. This year, though, he went all out and got him a #time machine. His dad hugged him, jumped in, and vanished. A few moments later, he started to dissappear. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Who is that stranger staring at me with a #distant look in his steely eyes? A face lined deep with hard years and bad decisions. A scowl whose intensity is matched only by his own furrowed brow. I loath this stranger. I wish I'd never put up this mirror. #vss365 #amwriting

She smiled at the #dawn's arrival as the sun peeked over the horizon and birds began singing a chorus for the peacefulness of a new day. She heard the email notification on her work computer. It was nice while it lasted. #vss365 #amwriting

He sat upon a particularly large log among the #deadfall. A once mighty tree standing sentinel in an ancient wood now in a long, slow rot in its final resting spot. But within, a whole new ecosystem thrives. We should all be so useful in our final sleep, he thought. #vss365 #amwriting

The villagers looked forward to their yearly faire, the center piece of which was the #dragon. This dragon's #mother scolded it as a baby, saying "If you can't spew something nice from your mouth, spew nothing at all." So instead of fire, it breathed cotton candy. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Jolted awake in the midst of a nightmare by my cat's paw smacking me in the face. Soft, tiny beans of the paw rest on my nose. Could he have known the #horror of my dream? What mystical powers does he have behind those green eyes? He smacks me, again. Oh right. He's hungry. #vss365 #amwriting

Dessicated petals #fall to a thirsty earth too soon. The grass crunches underfoot when it used to feel like lavish carpeting. It used to rain often, but now it only came like a so-called friend who only appeared when needing something, leaving behind destruction and woe. #vss365 #amwriting

As a boy, his grandpa made him watch #Victory At Sea. His grandpa had actually been there, and the planes were cool, but he didn't appreciate in the footage of battleships cutting through monochrome seas the country had once been a beacon of hope. Perhaps he'd watch it again. #vss365 #amwriting

He always said he didn't have any luck, but in reality, he made destructive decisions. Heck, when not making a choice was the worst option, he always relied on doing nothing. At least he never #gambled away his future; he never had one to ante. #vss365 #amwriting

#Midnight blues. The city #changes. Good intentions have gone to bed, leaving the rest to prowl unproductive streets. Things parents warn their kids about. They aren't under the bed; they're out here. But sometimes food trucks stay open. Silver lining. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

He tried to remain calm. At peace with himself. Morning yoga, a balanced diet, mindful breathing. Then the drive home came, and in rush hour's chaos, he always went #primative, though even a caveman wouldn't swear the way he did. #vss365 #amwriting

He spent that Tuesday night like most, perched alone at the end of the bar, neon light like makeup hiding his pallor. He drained the whiskey glass like the #remnants of any dreams he had, and the bartender cut him off. No refills for hope, pal. #vss365 #amwriting

A deep #rift had divided the family for some time. So long and divisive, most couldn't even remember why they began fighting in the first place. He remembered, though. He'd never forget. They didn't save him a piece of pie that Thanksgiving. #vss365 #amwriting

"Is there any better use for #gravity than its flowing hold on gravy upon these mashed potatoes?" "You mean other than its keeping us tethered to the Earth?" "Well, sure, but if I couldn't have this gravy, then perhaps I'd rather float to oblivion." "Priorities, I guess." #vss365 #amwriting

Mountains thrust towards the sky like #ancient #signals of the world's origin story. Nature's skyline more brilliant than any city and without the mar of humankind's sin. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Being a tough guy is about two things: attitude and appearance. It's most the former, and I apply that with the perfect mixture of a grim outlook and wise cracks. I hit the gym regularly, but the old broken nose helps, though I tell no one a #tethered ball was the culprit. #vss365 #amwriting

Then there was that kiss. It'd been over a week, but it continued to #linger on his lips with the same persistence as the smell of lilacs on a spring breeze. #vss365 #amwriting

He awoke in the middle of the night. The house settling? Wind? A phantom lurking in a dream? Who knows, now lying in the quiet night. The vigilant bedside clock assures him there's a few hours to snatch more sleep, but his now-worrisome mind's #betrayal assures that's a farce. #vss365 #amwriting

March and shuffle through the week. Daily grind to pay the bills. Slide into the weekend with a sole #intent: couch #potato. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

I spent the night getting a neon tan inside the local dive bar, a rough oasis from the #feral streets of the city at night. Soaking in the grumpy chatter from the bar flies, disgruntled blue-collar free verse poetry. #vss365 #amwriting

Oh, witness the #unalloyed joy evidenced upon cats' faces at the sound of the opening of any can. A joy, it would seem, so powerful it may lead to murder. #vss365 #amwriting

"Why is everything a mess?" "We're overdue." "Overdue for what?" "Our due #diligence." "The due-diligence due date is overdue?" "Do you have to put it that way?" "I do. I think it's due, don't you?" #vss365 #amwriting

Saccharine words from a letter read aloud at #evenfall drifting like pollen on a subtle breeze. He thought perhaps there is no better recipe for love language than that done when pen bleeds sanguine upon luscious paper. #vss365 #amwriting

He felt the Earth's hurling through space, unstoppable as he watched her smile at him across the table. Another moment of joy soon lost to memories, for there's nothing more #delicious or #fleeting than time. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Tireless stars watch sentinel and the calls of the loons #haunt the night's crisp air, perhaps the most beautiful time wasted as most of us sleep. #vss365 #amwriting

Nature's beauty rendered into a barren moonscape. They could have basked in the flutter of the wings of #doves but instead chose the bitter tattoo of guns. #vss365 #amwriting

#Moonbeams in broad brushstrokes paint the night black and white. My favorite time, when grey doesn't matter, and everything is clear, like the sky and its sparkling diamonds. #vss365 #amwriting

Sirens' calls echo off buildings, the music of the city at night. Sure, the streets still churn with life, but locked in buildings are those who cling to safety and cherish those who are #dear to them. The rest of us flock to neon signs like moths. #vss365 #amwriting

Discordant tunes and echoing laughter filled the halls. He'd grown used to this, though he wanted more sleep. He'd considered consulting a priest but thought they'd think him a lunatic. So, he'd tolerate these #phantom #parties without so much as a slice of pizza for him. #vss365 #BookishTues

Warm mornings return as the bright sun peeks over the horizon. Flowers dappled in bright colors as bees buzz low to green-grass carpeting. Spring's welcome #affection. #vss365 #amwriting

Thunder roles like an angry #lion's roar. Leaves once shimmering now shake in terror as their trees' trunks groan, and the rain hasn't even started, yet. Is there no vengeance more wrathful than mother earth's weather? #vss365 #amwriting

He loved the #dichotomous nature of the city. The bright, humming progress of order during the day, followed by shadowy chaos at night. Yeah, when the street lights started to burn, that's when it was time to go to work. #vss365 #amwriting

#Winter #lightning crawls across the sky as thick snowflakes plummet. He thought the moment apropos, a bitter-cold night with the chaos of thundersnow, just like the tumult within his heart. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

He thought old sayings like, "The best offense is a good defense," and, "Si vis pacem, para bellum." "If you want peace, prepare for war." But he thought, perhaps the best #tactician avoids bellicose situations in the first place. Yes, if he wanted peace, he'd buy some ice cream. #vss365 #amwriting