Year of the Horse Writing Contest: April Prompts

As in the past few months, this month there is no word limit for your entries. HOWEVER, we are also looking for haiku entries, if you are so inclined. The triggers for this month are lines taken from the following two texts:

  1. what I wanted was
    “Waterworks Series: Flagstones,” Willyce Kim
  2. that’s the worst part about it
    “The Tatoo,” Chris Mckinney
  3. I feel a twinge of disappointment
    “Obedient Son,” Mindy Eun Soo Pennybacker
  4. I try to forget the world exists
    “Contribution,” Ty Pak
  5. I was always fascinated by her stories
    “Americanization,” Peter Hyun
  6. pidgin his teachers called it
    “The Love Affair,” Constance Han Stewart
  7. as if you were holding a river
    “Taking a Chance,” Michael Darnay Among
  8. it would be your problem
    “Death of the Gods,” Alvin Koo
  9. From “Akiko Buries Her Son,” David K. Choo

Koji, the smooth-faced dog-boy, was run over by the vegetable man and died in his mother’s arms. Before then the townspeople had thought that “the wishing” was only a rumor, but that day they saw Akiko Higa hold her once-retarded son and stroke his gray fur as he bled. Some say Koji had been chasing butterflies, leaping high into the air trying to taste them.
The vegetable man never saw him. His pickup swerved and lost half its load. Two crates of tomatoes bounced down the street and into the gutter, twenty pounds of tofu crumbled and six dozen eggs broiled in the sun. In her kitchen, with her hands in a ball of banana bread dough, Akiko heard the scream. She wiped her hands on her pick hibiscus dress that attracted bees, then ran out the door.
Koji’s flattened body lay in the middle of the street. He was surrounded by tomatoes. “Don’t touch him, he might bite,” a witness said. “He’s in shock, you know.”

  1. any luck yet?
    “Kamau,” Alani Apio
  2. his body is still
    “Kupua,” Tammy Haili`opua Baker
  3. I no like Daddy be mad at us
    “Kupua,” Tammy Haili`opua Baker
  4. I told you we come straight home
    “Kupua,” Tammy Haili`opua Baker
  5. east side and west side
    “Da Mayah,” Lee Cataluna
  6. I know I late
    “Da Mayah,” Lee Cataluna
  7. I’ll take you to the best plate lunch places
    “Da Mayah,” Lee Cataluna
  8. then everything went black
    “Ka Wai Ola,” Victoria Nalani Kneubhul
  9. From “Da Mayah,” By Lee Cataluna:

Lester: It’s my mistake to make. After all, I am the mayor. I can hire who I like, and I can fire who I like. For instance, I hired you, and I can fire you. You’re forgetting how you got into this office. It was me. I brought you here. And I know you think what you do is vitally important. But face it, all you do is take ridiculously long lunches, answer a few phone calls, and decide whether you’re going to wear a pakalana or a pikake lei to the Governor’s reception. You must remember who I am. You must remember where I came from. I am a highly intelligent and accomplished man. Think of my background. I hold a certificate of completion from U.H. Hilo Special Learners Summer Session. I graduated with perfect attendance from Saint Joseph High School. For crying out loud, I was named Ideal Boy for the Keywanettes Club in my sophomore year. I am The Man in this town, and don’t forget it. My word is the law. So that’s the way it’s going to be. Derek Pang is the new County Director of Protocol. And by the way, he’ll need some room to work, so I’m giving him your desk. There’s a desk you can use out in the other room with the rest of the clerks and staff. You can move your things there next week.

Sandra: But I’m not a clerk. I’m your administrative assistant. I’m second in command. If you die in office, I would be mayor.

Lester: Quit whining. It’s the nicest desk out there. It’s the closest to the lunch room. You’ll like that. . . .

Use one of the prompts to trigger your piece AND if you use one of the lines in your piece, your mojo is strong : )

Contest Rules

1. You can submit one entry per month. All entries must be posted on the Bamboo Shoots page of the BRP site between April 1 and April 30 at 2:00 p.m. HST.

2. Entries can be prose (including short stories, nonfiction essays, or whatever you write), poetry, or plays -- or any type of hybrid writing you dream up.

*Don't forget to click the "Year of the Horse Contest" button for your entry.

3. Every entry must have a title -- unless you choose to enter a haiku, in which case you should simply enter the word haiku in the title section -- unless you do have a title -- and the title does NOT count against the word total.

4. In the section below the title where it says:

A blurb about your piece or a good quote from your piece:

You MUST -- REALLY NOT KIDDING -- include your word count.

Your entry should look like this:

Title: I Don't Get It / or just Haiku

A blurb about your piece or a good quote from your piece: 20 words

Body:

He got out of his car, came to my window, asked me to roll it down -- which I foolishly did -- and punched me in the face. . . . blah blah blah . . . Compared to me he was pretty bloody by the time we finished fighting for no reason I could figure out.

5. Winners will be announced with all possible BR speed after 2:00 p.m. HST, April 30, and they'll win Bamboo Bucks credit to spend in the BRP online bookstore. WOOOOOHOOOOO!!! And may you'll be published in a future issue of Bamboo Ridge : )

6. Don't forget that 29 entries from July 2010 through June 2011 were selected for publication in the landmark 100th issue of BAMBOO RIDGE. So you never know. Your piece might be published in a future issue of BAMBOO RIDGE : )

Good luck to you, and write like you're no fool : )

This prompt is closed for submissions.

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