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

This guy told me to come to a jazz bar downtown; he played in a small ensemble of local #cats that jammed on Thursday nights. It sounded cool, so I checked it out. I hadn't realized he meant actual #cats. I'd never forget that Cacophony of Chaos. That was the band's name. #vss365 #amwriting

Casting aside any doubt of hubris, he listed his favorite hobby as #fishing for compliments. #vss365 #amwriting

Once we were #wolves, howling free at the moon, but years past and now we ask ourselves, "What happened to us now, where #wolves were once in our heart?" #vss365 #amwriting

He forged a #jade #arrow, beautiful but useless unless simply admired as a piece of art. He thought the world would be a better place were all weaponry the same. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

On the surface, she seemed like any other person in the city, just trying to make it in the chaos of everyday life. But she possessed a deep strength, like #undersea currents. Unseen but relentless. #vss365 #amwriting

The stage is lit in a dingy bar, soft lights wade through a haze of smoke and broken dreams. But the clear tones of amplified blues cut through the night on a #seafoam green guitar, and the night gets a bit better. #vss365 #amwriting

Watching birds fly #loops in the park, singing with abandon, their song the triumphant sound of spring. But their return always has compromise. Poop on the swingset. #vss365 #amwriting

#Another #letter appears, bobbing to the milky surface. What does it mean? This time, it's a J. The last it was S. Before that, an M. Or was it a W? I admit defeat, scooping another spoonful. I shall never decode the mystery of this alphabet cereal. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

Rainy day. #Water beating a steady tattoo upon the roof. Nature's "Welcome home." #vss365 #amwriting

"I'm a private detective." "You have some sort of credentials to prove it?" "Sure. In the past, it was obvious because I'd be in my office and the #blinds would be throwing distinct shades across the walls. Now they issue us licenses. Not as cool, but more convenient." #vss365 #amwriting

An old soul, he watched life with unspoken wisdom, like the ancient #banks of a slow and steady river. #vss365 #amwriting

He often spent free time at the octopi exhibit at the aquarium. As a struggling writer constantly bombarded with rejection letters, he felt a sort of bond with the octopus and its weapon of choice, #ink. #vss365 #amwriting

It was all an ill-fated #game. The best minds in science and technology advancing with the velocity of their budgets (though at what profit!). In the end, as they should have known, no one wins in the #arms race. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

The music of the string quartet joined the warmth of the soft lighting in the ballroom. He only hesitated for a moment, but then asked to take her #hand. She gave it, and they glided onto the dance floor and into their memories. #vss365 #amwriting

What sanctuary the bookstores across the world. Quiet refuges (often fortunately staffed with a cat) lined with countless works of #penned imagination, offering empathetic escape. #vss365 #amwriting

When he at last realized his strength as a #man was being vulnerable, he made the world a better place. #vss365 #amwriting

I watch the #cranes standing stoic in still water. Mirrored peacefulness in springtime glory. #vssdaily #amwriting

Surrounded by cherry #trees in #blossom, even more beautiful at night when lit by the soft glow of burning lamps. It is hard to find a more #exalted sign of spring, breaking free from winter's icy grasp. #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting

If one doesn't agree with the #conduct of a cat, then perhaps in another life they lived as a #rat. Except three a.m. zoomies. That's just ridiculous. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

These times are filled with #fascination. For example, put a #plus in front of a production company and pay a subscription fee for shows you don't need to see! #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

His rage is always at a simmer. He seems to #profit from detachment; one breath in relaxing his defenses could be catastrophic. Soothing the #tempest within is basically a hobby at this point. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

"Is there some sort of printer conspiracy? They never work." "'Never' is a bit hyperbolic." "Don't. I seethe with the wrath of a #frustrated printer user." "Could be worse. Could have a #splinter in your #eye." "I'll make you the next jam in this thing!" #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting

He knew the #sparkle in her eye when she smiled at him #endorsed true love. And when she wrinkled her nose at him, his knees might as well been putty. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

Watching rabbits in the yard as they hop into spring. Flat-screen windows always high-def. Better than reruns or formulaic shows streaming on overpriced plans. One pauses and I see its twitching nose. Cure for days #overcast by life's shadows. #vss365 #amwriting

He wandered the city under the buzzing glow of street lamps, hands jammed into pockets, never one to think ahead for something like #gloves. Not a soul knew where he was, nor did they care. Not even him. He shuffled into a bar to #mediate away the loneliness. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

#Balcony #entreatments. Lovers spurned by the status quo. Seeming enemies learn they are soul mates. With tropes like these... #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

They asked him to #partake in the banquet. He'd think he was dreaming but for the #lobes of his ears burning. No one had ever invited him to anything, before. Fine food. Strong drinks. Laughter, maybe? He could return to #designing the fall of civilization later! #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues

Dreams #surpass reality. "You can be anything you dream," they said when we were young, but how can we when war rages? Flags #flap in the wind during the breaths between bombs. Patriotism's tattoo. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

He sits in the #corner and plugs a ratty #cord into an old guitar. Strums tuneless chords as a pale sun wanders across the floor. The day gone with numb fingertips, like his life. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

He opened the fridge. One #precious #can of beer and nothing else. Sure there was a half-bottle of mayo, but what good was that without any sandwich fodder? He thought perhaps he should get his life in order. He decided to drink the beer. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

Far off hillside painted a #bonny gold in the morning as the sun breaks the horizon. A misty verdant sight only a few days back, now don't go too close, or the reality will ruin spectacle. For rampant flowering #weeds hath conquered that lush hill. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

They ate a #soup of rainwater and crackers, warmed to tepid by a scorching sun as the ocean played a #harmony lapping against the side of the #lifeboat. Only two survivors, yet they found a shipwreck love story. #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting

Getting fresh air under the #awning of my favorite dive, protected against a demonstrative rain. #Lightning flashes, painting the night clouds a dark blue like the soft moan of a tenor sax in a smoky bar back in the day. Sometimes you can't escape the blues. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

I beheld a mighty king, perhaps the most remarkable of all time. I witnessed his #magnanimous #court, where he listened to the needs of the folks most in need, for the wealthy had no seat. He held these every Tuesday, after which everyone had free tacos. What a dream. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

Ruins perch in a foggy hollow. Once a #bountiful land, despotism and greed sowed the seeds of downfall. Nature #claimed its right, tall trees and rough brush warding off the creeping evil wrought by humankind. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

Still life in black and white when reality is all grey. As we age, the #lethargy of the #shutter blurs, no matter how hard we try to keep focus. The cruel limit of time's aperture. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

Their sense of security crumbled in an instant, like being protected by some perpetual sentinel who steadfastedly yanks the cannon's #lanyard to #fire upon an enemy he cannot see, as #cataracts have settled in during his years of loyalty. #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting

Stateside it's #splendor. Across the pond it's #splendour. Either way, the word is precise in its usage describing the magnificence of #curly fries. Or is it #curly chips? #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

Workin' on a mystery like Tom Petty, though whiskey distracts the following of leads. Hard to stay dogged when the #velocity of justice would befuddle Sisyphus. Easy to hide in the dark confines of a dive bar. #vss365 #amwriting

"He's a bad dude." "How bad can he be? I mean, a #criminal is a criminal, right?" "I would call him #orbital. Everything around him is sucked into his delinquent gravitational pull." "We should eclipse him." "Your mixed metaphor is also criminal." #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

#Stellar dreams crashed to Earth like so many toy rockets. His optimism converted to #contempt in a linear trek as his plans failed, though he'd dever admit his complicity. Fate made a convenient scapegoat. I pitied him each time he shook his fist at me from his porch. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

He #knowingly chose to be #heartless. Wrapped himself in a cocoon of whiskey and apathy. That way, no one could break his heart. Until one day, that #cat swaggered into his life and rescued him. #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting

Cats #crazed reliably each morning until their bowl I fill. Cacophony of havoc until the tinkle of kibble fills their bowl. They still think me #unfit in feeding responsibilities. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting