Saturday, June 11, 2011

Saturday Centus ~ The Wall

Well i just loved this weeks prompt ... there were just so many ways to go with it ... so i just sat and wrote whatever the keyboard told my fingers to write ... we had up to 200  words plus the prompts words.  I clocked in at 205 total. Oh, the prompt was "the wall was built long ago" ... here's my take!

The wall was built long ago …not all at once; it was built truly brick by brick.  The actual construction was a long and painful process.  Bricks were brought in by the barrel, lost bricks were found, others were stumbled upon and more were found by the sea … ancient bricks covered in barnacles and seaweed, showing their age and wear … bits of them smoothed by an eternity of exposure to the sun, sea, wind and all of earths elements.  The wall followed the landscape, winding around the curves, dipping in the valleys and crevices, rising on the occasional hill.  The landscape so complex at times that the wall gave birth to many mazes, walls within walls, traps and blind alleys. At times, when construction slowed, and there were no bricks to be found they were created … by nothing … or perhaps something … loneliness, bitterness, unheard whispers and ghosts, rising on the wind. 

The wall remains there still, although the building has slowed, it still continues, brick by brick … it stands on it’s lonely terrain guarded by no one, visited by no one and guarded by one gull, calling to no one as it rides the gusts of wind and time.

If you want some good reading make sure you visit the other skilled Cenutusians ... just click Jenny's button below.

Jenny Matlock

17 comments:

Dazee Dreamer said...

Ok, that was good. I was envisioning the wall, and where it was going. Great job.

Nonna said...

Excellent job !

Your imagery painted and sculpted an amazing and very deep story. I read it a few times because I enjoyed it very much !

Sue C said...

To me, the ultimate sign of a well written story is if I see images instead of words.

My brain was painting a lovely scene, complete with the SOUND of the whispering wind.

You have a truly wonderful gift, one of many! Thanks for sharing your talent with us!

Susan Anderson said...

Beautiful and mysterious.

Loved it.

=)

Jenny said...

This made me cry.

Wow.

I re-read it again and the words are just so haunting and poignant.

Things that seem so important seem to fall away as we get older, don't they?

I love your imagery here. This link really touched my heart.

Ames said...

Where is this wall? I want to know more! I imagined the dry Tortuga's while reading it. Very visual! Excellent.~Ames

cj Schlottman said...

Jo,

This is elegant and reads so smoothly. You truly painted a picture with your concrete images, and I could see the wall slowly growing, see the stones.

"… ancient bricks covered in barnacles and seaweed, showing their age and wear …" just takes my breath. The image of the gull is haunting.

I cannot tell you how beautiful this is. Thank you so much for sharing your magical words.


Namaste..........cj

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

"Mazes, walls within walls, bricks made of nothing"...this took some really neat twists and turns. Lovely.

(My first time doing this -- it was FUN!)

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

There's something so metaphorical and deep about a wall built brick by brick. You crafted this piece in the same way. It's truly beautiful.
xoRobyn

Kat said...

This was beautifully written. I imagined so many things while reading this, and I could see every stain, every bit of chipped mortar, every brick. This truly took my breath away, well done! Kat

Judie said...

Jo, you have so many talents, and this is definitely one of them!! I know I was later, but I have posted now.

Brava, my sister!!!

jeff campbell said...

Oh my, what a tasty bit of writing this is. I so love walls, and your imagery took me to this one. Bricks made of loneliness, whispers and such...you floored me with this...Peace and blessings

Rek Sesh said...

Reminded me of archaeological excavations...almost like being on one such site...beautiful story telling.

Lynn Stevens said...

I Love to have some of those bricks in my garden, what a story they would tell.
BRAVO jo!
hugs Lynn

Izzy said...

Great job! I know where that wall is....in my mind ;)

mom said...

Beautiful writing Jo......we knew it was there all the time......hidden, like ancient pieces of your wall....keep on building......love mom

Tgoette said...

Brilliant! Just an amazing story told so beautifully. You rocked the prompt big time this week!