Whirl I never!

Keith's Ramblings

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After several years of taking part in The Sunday Whirl, I dropped out on August 6th, 2017. I thought I’d pop back and see what’s going on!

I’ve used all but one of today’s words in my prose, art, but I’ve knocked up a piece of art at the bottom so it didn’t go to waste!

And by the way, if you were expecting my customary audio, forget it, there was no way I was going to attempt reading this out loud!

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I had a strange dream the other night, I often do after a few drinks! I imagined the world caught fire. I even thought I might have been to blame, after all I am quite accident prone!.

At first I found it shocking but it wasn’t as drastic as I imagined. It was not a catastrophe, certainly not a disaster, quite the opposite infact.

For out of the ashes, a raw unblemished world appeared. A world the way ours would have been, should have been, were it not for the failings of mankind. 

The good folks of the world rose too; the bad, left behind to perish. Soon social discourse would bring us together, soon we would be singing in perfect harmony.

*

I see a girl sitting alone on the grass, in her hand, a flickering candle. ‘All you need is love’ she whispers. One by one the villagers join her. ‘All you need is love’ they sing.

Somewhere in Russia, a devushka wanders into a square clutching a candle. Minutes later the square is filled with people singing. ‘Vvse, chto tebe nuzhno – eto lyubov’. 

Across the Latin world, joyful crowds gather. ‘Todo lo que necesitas es amor’ they sing as golden flames dance to the tune. 

Athwart Africa, Asia and the Middle East people join in, all you need is love

In war-torn countries, those once forced to fight lay down their arms and pick up candles,  they sing together, ‘kl ma tahtaj ‘iilayh hu alhabu’. 

The world is illuminated by candles, brightened by song. To the east, south, north, and the farthest west they sing. Suddenly the world is a happy place. We sing as one, ‘all you need is love’.

Then all is peaceful.

*

A girl sits alone on the grass. ‘Love is all you need’ she whispers.

‘Love, love love’, I say as I wake.

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33 thoughts on “Whirl I never!”

  3. Suzette Benjamin's avatar Suzette Benjamin Sep 28, 2025 / 15:33

    I love your message of hope at the end of your dream Keith. A great way to step back into the prompt. Love your artwork…superb!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings's avatar Keith's Ramblings Sep 29, 2025 / 12:42

      That’s really nice of you, Suzette.

      I fear this will be a one-off step back as the link I left yesterday at The Whirl seems to have been totally ignored – it’s still ‘awaiting moderation’!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Suzette Benjamin's avatar Suzette Benjamin Sep 29, 2025 / 13:47

        Well Kudos to Keith, you put a lot of effort and light into this your content. That is what matters, I feel.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Dale's avatar Dale Sep 28, 2025 / 16:32

    That is a beautiful dream. Would that we could make it a reality!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Prior...'s avatar Prior... Sep 28, 2025 / 18:40

    dude, you are such a phenomenal writer – and I liked the flow and content here – what a dream to wake up from – pretty cool
    and why did you stop doing the sunday whirl?

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings's avatar Keith's Ramblings Sep 29, 2025 / 08:52

      Thanks so much for your generous words.

      I gave my reason for leaving as – my prose was drowning in a sea of poetry! I moved over to Friday Fictioneers where that week, there were no less than 98 contributors – how things have changed!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Prior...'s avatar Prior... Sep 29, 2025 / 17:05

        Hi – I love that phrase about prose getting drowned in poetry (had to think about it for a minute) – and I remember when FF had close to 100 – things sure have changed with many challenges.
        And I know many of the FF authors now run their own challenges – but lots of changes – like I still miss the WordPress main photo challenge – which used to have 600 or more folks joining in.

        ❤

        Like

  10. Rene Heartsong's avatar Rene Heartsong Sep 28, 2025 / 23:28

    Oh…Keith…this is 5-Star and “weep-worthy”. You’re certainly much more than a Funny Man…(not that I actually thought you had no other aspects, just sayin…) Have a blessed week!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
      • Rene Heartsong's avatar Rene Heartsong Sep 29, 2025 / 20:33

        Now, see? I started cackling, and there wasn’t even a joke!!! You’re the BEST!!💖

        Like

  12. thisobscurelife's avatar thisobscurelife Oct 1, 2025 / 09:22

    One need not stop dreaming upon awakening. It seems so simple “all you need is love,” and yet somehow is so hard to achieve.

    Liked by 1 person

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