Response to Prompt #74: Words

Fine

It's fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine.

She muttered this phrase often when things weren't fine at all,

raking her fingers through her fine hair only to find strands stuck between her fingers,

afraid she might go bald from all the head-scratching over the absurdity that had become her reality.

Sheer stupidity was not listed in the fine print of the job description,

yet it was lurking everywhere, waiting to pounce and rattle her fine-tuned plans. 

It's fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine.

It had become a common refrain, a survival mechanism, 

a resignation to the lack of power that threatened to shatter her, 

a way to walk the fine line between beliefs and responsibilities, common sense and nonsense,

an attempt to keep her balance when the ridiculousness was dizzying,

treading carefully every time she opened her mouth, afraid her true feelings would escape. 

It's fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine.

It had become the standing joke among co-workers,

so often spoken they ordered t-shirts--because laughing is better than crying,

a way to show collective strength in the face of adversity, or at least have a little fun

in a place where fun seemed to go to die,

refusing to lose their humor--or their minds--in the fine mess they did not create.

Prompt #74 Do-over: Words

If you read this blog with any regularity, and I’m not sure anyone other than the Brazens do, you may have noticed that we already had a Prompt 74. Well, it fell flat. Dormant. Dead as a door nail, as they say. There are several plausible explanations for this, but as the author, I can say most likely it’s because none of the Brazens were “feelin it.” Time, work, family, writers block, all those obstacles pretty much take care of themselves when you’ve been inspired by a great prompt. It’s ok, though. Look, it was my idea and I didn’t even write a contribution. So, what do you do when you’re uninspired? Create inspiration.

Here is a new attempt at Prompt #74. Back to basics. Words. When all else fails, the Brazens are craftswomen with word play and poetry. I hope and think this prompt might spark something in each of us. Here it is, with a little challenge at the end. Have at it logophiles!

Prompt: 

The English language is oft criticized for being difficult to learn. It has more exceptions than rules, you may have heard people say. Words don’t look how they sound and have multiple meanings. How is an English language learner to keep up? That question is rhetorical. Though all of the Brazens are educators, here is our space to create rather than solve the problems of the education system. For this prompt, we’re going to use the craziness of English to our advantage. We’re going to play with homonyms, and I’m talking pure homonyms. Same word, same spelling, same pronunciation, but different meanings. Select a pair of homonyms and use them in a poem. Only rule: use the word at least twice with two different meanings. 

Example homonym set:

A. ice (n) The solid form of water produced by freezing; frozen water

B. ice (v) To coat a cake with icing, as in frosting.

Challenge:

Share your post with at least one non-Brazen person. It can be private via text or email, or broader on social media. The choice is yours.

Have fun!