Writing Assignment: The Devil's Dictionary"

 

Street Sweeper; an odd shaped vehicle that pushes leaves and trash from one side of the street to the other but never picks it up

 

Blender an electrical appliance that flips its lid without a moment's warning

 

Drone mechanical busy body having no regard or respect for the privacy of humans

 

Ellen G.

Writing Assignment: "REVISION"

 

My Comfy House

My house is a very comfortable home. I have lived in it for forty years. It is really time to redecorate but I don’t have that much cash lying around.

One early morning, I put the coffee pot on as I usually do. While I was waiting for the coffee to finish perking, I started watching the vapors rise from the top of the pot. All of a sudden, a beautiful genie, dressed in pink, formed out of the vapors. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” I asked in a fearful voice. The genie answered, “I am the household genie who came to redecorate your house.” She continued, "If you’ll let me, I will add a room on your second floor that will be just glorious..” She whispered in my ear her plans for the remodeling. When the genie was done filling me in, she got to work and designed a magical room,

Revised Copy

Coffee Pot Remodeling

Early one morning, I put the coffee pot on as usual. While waiting for the coffee to finish perking, I started watching the vapors rise from the top of the pot. All of a sudden, a beautiful genie, dressed in pink, as bright as a flamingo, formed out of the vapors. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” I asked in a cautious voice. The genie answered in a voice as smooth as peanut butter being spread on a piece of bread, “I am the decorating genie who comes to remodel your house.” She continued, “If you’ll let me, I will add a room to the second floor that will be just magnificent.” She whispered her plans for the changes in my ear. When the genie was done filling me in on her plans, she got to work and designed a beautiful room filled with magical touches.

Ellen G.

Re: "Noun"

 Cat Owner, noun: a person who believes they are the managed human of a small, furry, whiskered supervisor who is utterly convinced he runs the household.

Georgia

Epiphany

 

I had an epiphany the other day when I thought my cat was being aloof, but then realized in fact he was monitoring me with quiet, professional kitty curiosity. 

He treats “our” home as his territory, and I’m just one part of his operation. 

He scans each room, making mental notes of anything that’s changed. 

Even the way he sits—eyes half‑open; paws tucked neatly under his body—looks like he’s evaluating the space. 

He isn’t aloof at all; he’s simply gathering data, making sure our home runs smoothly. 

Georgia

Time Disappeared

 

I looked up from my painting, thinking only an hour had passed. The cerulean watercolor was almost dry on the palette. It was total darkness outside; the afternoon light had faded into night. My tea was completely cold, and I forgot it was there. It was bizarre, as if my mind stepped away into a parallel dimension. I didn’t regret a single second lost, though I was violently hungry.

Georgia

I Heard the Morning Birds

 

The little crowd of feathered optimist blackbirds swooped and glided into the warm morning light. 

I think they were showing off to the sparrows. 

They hop along the railing, waiting for the bread I set on the windowsill every morning. 

Confident that breakfast will simply appear. 

They trust that I’ll provide for them, and that trust feels like its own small comfort. 

Their chatter rises loud and bright, reminding me how even the darkest birds can make an ordinary day feel extraordinary. 

 Georgia

Journal Entry (by Georgia)

 

Walking to the store again for endless groceries, I felt myself surrendering to the same routine struggle. Milk, bread, fruit, and cat food. Forgot something, always something forgotten. The sky was gray and beginning to rain, the smell of wet pavement mixed with city pollution. 

Halfway home I noticed a white pigeon standing alone near the curb. Nearby the usual pigeons crowded together eating crumbs and arguing over scraps, but this bird seemed different somehow. Its soft white feathers glowed against the dirty pavement. It looked almost unreal, as though it had drifted in from another world and landed quietly among us. 

People rushed by without noticing, narrowly stepping around the feeding birds. The white pigeon remained calm and silent in the middle of all the movement and noise. 

I stopped walking just to watch. 

Its beauty interrupted the ordinary moment. Its little pink feet stepped carefully into a puddle while the wind lifted its feathers. Nearby was a grocery cart and a pile of litter, yet neither took away from the image of this peaceful creature moving gently through the chaos. 

Suddenly it flew straight upward with its wings wide open, startling me. Against the dark sky its white wings flashed brilliantly before disappearing into the rain clouds. 

For a moment I felt lighter somehow, lucky to have witnessed this small mystery of nature in the middle of a crowded city. 

Then life returned. I carried the groceries home, filled the refrigerator, and the errands continued.