Thursday, June 4, 2026

the clod and the cloud


by rhoda penmarq





a little clod of dirt sat in the sunshine.

a cloud came along

and hit the clod of dirt

with a raindrop

turning it into a flower

thank you

said the flower

i like being a flower now

i will return

said the cloud

with another raindrop to keep you a flower

the flower waited

and waited

and waited

but the cloud never returned

and the flower died

and the sky looked down at the dirt


Monday, June 1, 2026

slim jim 13


by rhoda penmarq







the eggplant was on the kitchen table, but the quinoa was in the undergrowth.

the red dog was terrified in the quiet afternoon.

youthful enthusiasm brought happiness to harold, but the dogs kept fighting.

the lettuce was gone, to harriet’s horrified regret.

as the clown devoured the sausage, many interesting things flashed through his mind.

wait for it, professor walker cautioned. yes or no? it is only animal behavior.

not on my watch, madame n———— asserted as she continued drying the powder. we need accuracy.

it is no exaggeration to say that doctor x is a fancy pants, but maybe i was mistaken.

they jumped for joy, back and forth, ordinary as they seemed.

harold was sad that the day was over.

he had not accomplished anything.

and he had still not heard from lucy.

could this be the end?

out in the distance, a cab pulled into the driveway of the old house.

a light went on in the attic.

how much?

two hundred and fifty dollars and forty-two cents.

here. keep the change.

thank you, sir.

the old house looked the same, at least in the darkness.

the cab backed down the driveway, and disappeared down the dirt road.

forsyth banged on the old oak door with the brass knocker.

the light went off in the attic.

forsyth waited.

i could use a drink, he mused.

so could we all, old fellow.




Saturday, May 30, 2026

slim jim 12


by rhoda penmarq







eggplant

quinoa

undergrowth

red

terror

quiet afternoon

youthful enthusiasm

happiness

dogs fighting

lettuce

horror

regret

clown

sausage

interesting things

wait for it

yes or no?

animal behavior

not on my watch

powder

accuracy

exaggeration

fancy pants

maybe i was mistaken

jump for joy

ordinary

back and forth



Sunday, May 24, 2026

slim jim #11


by rhoda penmarq







your meticulous jurisprudence is appreciated

you are very kind

let us retrace our steps

mister frank is waiting

he does not know his own mind

but he is not quite obsolete, is he?

we have heard mister parker’s testimony

quite so

remember what happened in the last session

t was so embarrassing

yes, it was a terrible time fir time and all

that is not unusual in the history of the human race

can we leave the history of the human race aside, and move on?

the representative from w______ was making a valid point

it was only an expression, so to speak

you said it, my friend

and i will assert it to the bitter rend

this is the end

excuse me?

until the next time

that is what o thought you meant

we all have our bad days

suddenly confusion broke out in the corridor leading to the holding cells



Monday, May 11, 2026

slim jim #10


by rhoda penmarq



flows to the sea

gerbil

horticulturist

i never knew

jelly donut

kingfish

lepidopterist

mailman

nobody home

oh please

particular

quaintly

resolve

steely resolve

tremendous pressure

he understood immediately

viciousness

watery

epedite, expedite!

you said it, pal

nothing left

adrenalin

blue yonder

coruscating

debilitating

energy crisis


Sunday, March 22, 2026

slim jim #9


by rhoda penmarq



you missed your quota

i will remember this

so will i

with that he took his leave

he understood it all now

vermillion sky

watery eyes

always the excuses

going back to the early days

nothing doing

up ahead

believe

cherry pie

desperation

energy shares

a fantastic premise

george

harold

i missed my quota

have a seat

you are very kind

lately

mendacious

night

ordinary symptoms

momentary paralysis


Sunday, March 15, 2026

slim jim #8


by rhoda penmarq



consciousness

defeat

effluvia

fortitude

gallivant

herodotus

i heard you the first time

jam up

swinging gate

lion tamers school

melancholy baby

not now, joey

off in the distance

ponderous applause

quickly, men, quickly

root root root for the home team

dead silence

i told you i would do it tomorrow

understood

various and sundry favors over the decades

yeah, that’s really wild

he extemporized sullenly

yes!

the room was empty

akansas

bermuda


Sunday, March 8, 2026

slim jim #7


by rhoda penmarq



do you begin to understand?

mount vesuvius

who are you to tell me what to do?

well, excuse me

yikes

in the great void

arterial

biscuit

cobra

delicatessen

earnest appeal

feta cheese

grandstand

simply heavenly

i knew it all along

just do it and get it over with

immanuel kant

leonarfo da vnci

mount denali

nebuchadnezzar

oh put it anywhere

pete was a great guy

he never asked questions

route 66

see you later

snappnig turtle


Monday, February 23, 2026

slim jim #6


by rhoda penmarq



beehive

coruscation

diploma

electrolysis

forage

grandstand

hannibal

infrastructure

justice

kingston tennessee

ludicrous

mammalian

not my style, said casey

openibg day

parachute

they rushed to the scene

the big four got together

simultaneously

tendentiously

europia

victim

warranty

i don’t think so

nobody cares what you think

nobody cares what you do

are you satisfied?


Friday, February 20, 2026

slim jim #5


by rhoda penmarq



negativity will bring you down

on the outskirts of town

perfunctorily

on a quiet street

in a respectable neighborhood

surreptitiously

transcendant

under a cloudy sky

very nice, professor

where are you staying?

really? i never expected that

but youth will have its way

it was nice talking to you

and tell veronica i said hello

down by the old mill stream

consciousness returned

to the desperate man

entering the deserted city

birds flew overhead

an alligator crossed the road

he heard a vioice

i can’t give up now, he thought

johnny was right after all

kind of

let me get this straight

excuse me, i need to tie my shoe


Tuesday, February 10, 2026

slim jim #4


by rhoda penmarq



rembrandt

serpentine

travelers checks

up a lazy river

variables

whatever

what an entertainer

strawberry yogurt

you never said that

abrupt

st bernard

coherent plan

demonstrably false

every time

foreigners

grasping cupidity

hound dog

implementation is key

junk science

kafkaesque

liberty and justice for all

make me

that’s not what you said

the great outdoors

persimmon

they rushed to the exits