Writers Corner for April 20, 2012

ORDERING CADENCE

Yesterday afternoon, following a foray to a local store with my son, I was made keenly aware of yet another flaw in my already sparsely equipped arsenal of 21st century social skills. I had absolutely no idea, until then, that there was such thing as "Ordering Cadence."

I learned this bit of fast food savoir faire during our quest for rations at a local drive-through. We deliberated momentarily on the choices available and I motored up to the communication depot. I hadn't yet committed wholeheartedly to my choice and was still trying to scan my options at the second menu board when a voice startled me to attention. I jumped, shel- shocked by the sheer volume of the voice coming through the speaker.

My son quickly prompted me to action and I rattled out his part of the order like an 8- year-old with an Uzi, spraying words here and there.

Feeling myself freeze up, I heard my son's voice in the background recapping the order like a commando under heavy fire. He was trying to get me moving again but I was mentally limping through the unfamiliar list of offerings, trying to decide what I was hungry for.

Before I could respond, the voice boomed again, "Will there be anything else?" Trying to buy myself a little time, I shot back a quick, "Yes," then slowly squeezed out, "an order of fries please," while desperately scanning the menu to locate them on the board.

I was relieved to have made a decision, but the voice at post refused to sound a retreat. "What size?" it reported, echoing through the canyon of time I was occupying. I had actually anticipated the launch of this question but my reconnaissance failed to produce and I still couldn't find "fries" in the list.

Feeling a sense of urgency, I quickly sniped, "Small," and followed with, "That's all," which I fired off at exactly the same time as the voice crackled, "Is that it for you?"

Then I started giggling, relieved that the drill was over and all that remained was to shell out a few Washingtons. But my son, totally disenchanted with my indecisive and spasmodic communique chided me, "Mom, your ordering cadence sucks."

Ordering cadence. What do you know.

- LL Bolme, Post Falls

•••

NIGHT BIRDS

On a summer's wind they soared with ease,

Sailing endlessly on a sunset breeze.

Passion to passion,

Deep in love's flight, shadow to shadow, they

Danced through the night. From dusk until dawn,

They danced in the sky. On the wings of love,

Higher than high.

- Keith Sargent, Mullan

•••

BEAUTY IN GROWTH

On the earth and in the sky

There is so much beauty to see

Like birds and butterflies flying by

and flowers growing around a tree

There is one thing we all should know

That each depends on one another

For nourishment to fly and grow

Without one there would be no other

- Joyce Almquist, Coeur d'Alene

•••

The Press Writers Corner features original, creative writing submitted by our readers. It appears most Fridays in the North Idaho Life section of the print edition of The Press. Writers corner submissions can also be viewed online at presswriterscorner.tumblr.com.

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