Tag: Life

Free

On By HeidiIn Creative Writing, Poetry3 Comments

Have you ever wanted to be free?
Free of burdens,
free of choices
free of morality
free of consequences?
Have you ever wanted to let go
fly with the wind
go wherever
however
with whomever you please?
Have you ever not wanted to worry
about the choices you make
the way others see you
think of you
judge you?
Have you ever wanted to just be
who you are
feel how you feel
do what you want
without fear of condemnation?
Have you ever wanted to be
free?

Copyright © 2018 Heidi Barnes

Absence makes the heart grow fonder….

On By HeidiIn Blog5 Comments

or forgetful. I know I said I would try to put up a chapter a week for Forever Lost and I have failed miserably. Let’s just say the holidays have been a bit stressful this year. I had surgery planned for the 18th of December which meant I needed everything to do with Christmas done before that. Then there is the fact I work in a petri-dish, aka a school, and spent a great deal of effort trying not to get sick. So my husband brings home sickness from Asia and, after my surgery being cancelled because my doctor was sick (go figure) along with taking everything I could that was non-herbal to try and stay well and sleeping in different rooms, I caught his sickness two days before the rescheduled surgery. Move past the surgery and I and my husband were diagnosed with pneumonia. Yeah Me! Do you know that coughing and stitches in tender places do NOT get along. Ugh!

So fast forward to today. Where I am still a ways from 100%, I do feel better. Upside, since this whole thing started I’ve lost 20 pounds. 😀 I’m hoping that part of it keeps going. So as part of regaining my strength I am going to start pushing myself to do more. Part of that is working on the next chapter for Forever Lost. (BTW, I am not married to that title, so if anyone has a suggestions I would love to hear them.)

As for now, I am going to run some small errands, rest a little, then work on editing. Have a wonderful day! 🙂

Heidi

I’m Too Old to Chase Rabbits

On By HeidiIn Blog3 Comments

My dog, Jack, is getting on in age. It has been thirteen years since we went to choose between him and his brother. It was and easy choice. Jack was full of energy and wanted to play. His brother found the nearest object, ran under the truck and began to chew on it. Yeah…exuberant it was! Now, where he still has energy, it’s a little more subtle and his hearing isn’t what it used to be.

In the last couple of weeks the rabbits, or stew meat as I lovingly call them through gritted teeth, have come out in force. I’ve had as many as four in the yard at once, and those are just the ones I can see. I wonder where all the coyotes have gone. Have they suddenly sworn off rabbit? I hear it’s rather tasty.

Now before I receive comments about how cute and cuddly rabbits are, I thought the same thing until they ate $200 worth of plants I had just planted. Needless to say I was not amused.

Now that you have some back story, here is what happened a few days ago.

Jack is sleeping on his bed when I see one of the vermin called rabbit in the yard eating grass a little to close to my flowerbed for my comfort.

Me: Jack! Rabbit!

No response.

Me, a little louder: Jack! There’s a rabbit!

Jack’s head comes up: Rabbit?

I head for the slider and he follows as I wind him up to chase the rabbit. Now there is an art to opening the slider and not having the dog slam into it as he bolts out the opening like a race horse. You have to time it right and be wicked fast. I brace myself. Jack crouches down, ready to spring forward. I slide the door open and…

He sticks his head out the door. Slightly anti-climactic. Although lately he has been thinking about running more than actually doing.

Jack stares at the rabbit who is now frozen in hopes that he won’t be seen.

Me, very exuberantly: Rabbit! (Because that one word says it all.)

Jack: Yes, that is a rabbit.

Me: Go get the rabbit!

Jack gives me a look that seems to say: You do remember the last time I chased one of those things. I had to be carried back because my joints aren’t what they used to be. Very embaressing.

The rabbit is still frozen in the lawn.

Me: Come on, Jack. Get the rabbit!

Jack looks back at the rabbit then very non-chalantly walks out the door and to the left, NOT towards the rabbit: I’m going out front.

As Jack disappears around the corner of the house, the rabbit resumes eating, and I’m left wondering what just happened.

Have a wonderful week.
Copyright 2017 Heidi Barnes

Here is a little side story that my friend Suzanne Carey wrote after she read this piece. We have a mutual friend/bane-of-my-existence called Suzi. She is a fairy that tries hard to do good things, but somehow they always manage to go…sideways. Here is Suzi and her attempt to help me with my little rabbit problem. Chasing Rabbits.

Distractions

On By HeidiIn BlogLeave a comment

I knew it was a mistake. Knew what would happen, yet I did it anyways. *sigh* When will I learn? The upside is I don’t regret it. I needed the break. The downside is I didn’t get done everything I wanted to do this summer. What is it that I’ve done? Instead of starting to write the next book, like I should have done when I finished the last one in June, I decided to pick up my Kindle and read for a bit. I love to read, and to be honest I needed the break from writing and editing. I felt like my brain was going to melt. My mistake was deciding to re-read a series that I really like. A 25 book series I might add. Not a good thing when one wants to get somethings done around the house.

What happened was a new book came out, and as I was reading it I was having a hard time remembering everyone and their stories. I don’t mind re-reading books, especially when they are good. I also like long series because if I like the world I’m reading about then I don’t really want to leave it and want to learn about everyone in it. So, I am now on book nine and I only started the re-read a little over two weeks ago. That is slow for me as I’ve had to stop myself and do some painting and other chores that I have put off until the last minute. What I should have been doing is editing the first 45 pages of the next book in my Destiny series, blogging about my garden, writing poems or short stories. None of which have been done, much. I guess I really did need that break.

Well, off to do those things that need to be done in life… or many just one more chapter…..

Have a wonderful day!

Heidi

Angst of a Writer

On By HeidiIn Creative Writing, Free Write, Poetry4 Comments

I see voices in my head
All talking at once
All wanting attention I cannot give
Imploring
Seeking
Demanding that I write their words
See their pain
Live their joy
Share their journey
So others may enjoy.
Worn down I take my pen
Situate my paper
and listen….
I re-situate my paper
and listen….
Sighing
I lay my pen down
Put my head in my hands
Praying for inspiration
Coherent thought
Help!
Silence ensues
Tension rises
All eyes narrow
Searching
….finding….
Growls of frustration
Words hissed, best not repeated
As over in the corner
In an overstuffed arm chair
Filing her nails
A glass of chardonnay
Box of chocolates
on the table beside her
My muse sits.
The one who translates
Thoughts
Pictures
Into flowing words
Her eyes glued to the TV
Watching Game of Thrones
A grizzly scene
Yet another red wedding
Unfolding
Unawares that in a moment
Fantasy may very well become
Reality

Copyright 2017 Heidi Barnes

Denial – Daily Prompt

On By HeidiIn Poetry4 Comments

via Daily Prompt: Denial

What do you want from me?
I didn’t ask for this.
I didn’t ask for you!
Leave me be!

Walking through life
alone and free.
Happy in my plight
peaceful quiet nights.
In you walk
full of spitfire
life.
A ray of sunshine
silence broken
laughter in the night

Why me?
Why not him
or her?
Anyone else
A companion make.
There is the dog!
Please go
for Godsakes!

What do you want from me?
Why can’t I breathe?
You’re coming closer….
Please….
don’t leave.

 

Copyright © 2017 Heidi Barnes

 

A Horde of Five-Year-Olds

On By HeidiIn Creative Writing, Free Write2 Comments

Today in 9th grade English class while the kids were working on their poetry, the teacher asked a few of them, what they would do if a horde of five-year-olds were coming at them? Could they defend themselves? I asked him if the District was threatening him with a kindergarten class and he laughed. But my mind started working and this is what I came up with. I’ve polished it up a bit, but about half of it was written in ten minutes.

I got a kick out of it. I hope you do too. 😊

 

I don’t know where they came from, and at that moment I didn’t care. All I knew was a horde of short people covered in what looked strangely like blood, but in retrospect was probably strawberry jam, were coming at me like a pack of hungry snarling wolverines. Fearing for my life, I frantically searched for an escape. My stomach dropped and I began vehemently cursing the Fates for bringing me to one of the few rooms in the school where there was only one door and the windows were sealed shut.

I was trapped.

I turned to face the horde of stick smelly five-year-olds, praying my death would be quick and relatively painless. The feverish glitter in their eyes did not give me hope.

“Climb!” someone screamed.

What?

Climb?

Where?

It was then I saw her. Huddled in the far corner of the room on top of a filing cabinet was a young woman whose clothes were ripped and hair in sticky disarray. It was apparent they had gotten to her first and were back for more. I was just the unlucky sap that found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Life was like that sometimes. Throwing you into the middle of a hurricane just to see if you would survive. My first thought as I leaped for the filing cabinet that this would not be one of those times.

Just as I was about to climb to safety, something grabbed my pant leg and pulled. Yelling in surprise as the woman screamed and grabbed a hold of me, I frantically tried to get free. It was no use. They were just too strong.

“Take of your pants!” she yelled.

“What? Are you crazy?”

“I can’t hold on much longer,” she gritted as I slid a few more millimeters into the mass. “It’s either you or the pants, and you do not want to know what they did to the other one.”

Pants it was.

“What the hell happened?” I yelled as I scrambled on top of the filing cabinet next to her, finally free.

“It was a birthday party,” she gasped. “One of the mothers brought jam filled donuts to celebrate. They attacked her at the door. After that…,” her voice trailed off as her eyes grew haunted and her face even pale, the horror of a room full of five-year-olds on a massive sugar high obviously rendering her catatonic. God only knew what was left of the poor woman who innocently brought the means of our destruction.

Looking down at the crawling, wriggling, sticky mass that was once happily calm children bent on tearing me apart I realized one thing.

We were doomed.

 

Copyright © 2017 Heidi Barnes