Velvet Verbosity

Ultimate…the best of something, the pinnacle, the end goal. What of that? Whatever the goal, whatever the grand prize, what happens if and when we get it? Then things are downhill from there? Why do we want the ultimate of anything? The experience of it I suppose. Look at this quest from a distance however, and it at once becomes clear the absurd game we play with ourselves of future and past. The path to the ultimate is a journey of future longing. The path after obtaining the ultimate is one of looking back. Desire for the ultimate takes us out of the now and keeps us from truly living. Each moment is one of fresh creation, and it could be argued, each moment contains within it that ultimate if only we can change our perspective.

The Wandering Author captures well the suffering we can create for ourselves in this quest for the ultimate.

Elusive Ultimate

How often
We seek the ultimate.
How often
We proclaim it found.

Yet -
Is life long enough
To sift centuries of wonders,
Comparing, discarding, selecting?

Does any have insight enough,
To speak another’s mind?

At twenty,
Dreaming ultimate dreams,
Daring to hope
Fragile promise durable.
At forty,
So often weighted by
Doubled experience,
Dreams crumble, tumbling
Into nightmare,
Leaving only ultimate loss -
Which, too, may pass.

Future thoughts
Forever beyond view,
Chasms greater and stranger
Hide others’ minds unguessed, unread.

The ultimate -
Indefinable,
Unreachable,
Ultimately elusive.

Thus preserving,
Always,
More to seek,
Heights to strive for;
Ultimate fountain
Of hope.

Night Blogger captures this longing in a completely different way, taking on the voice of that hopeful longing.

Wind. Shivers, rushing beneath skin, trembles through fingers. Hair, blown forward, wild.

The canyon wall stretches on, into darkness—where’s the end? Or, perhaps, the end is just the beginning…

The beginning of…?

Feet slip. Slivers of stone tumble down, disappear. It’s the tempting of death—the abyss—that’s so intoxicating. It calls.

Freefall. A searing glimpse of death.

Then the save. Arms are yanked upward. Cloth catches the breeze—colors dyed to mimic fiery cliff faces.

Oh, to fly! To keep going, never stop; not for walls, people, nor societies. To flaunt the end, to start anew;

The ultimate.

Ash, a newcomer to the 100 Word Challenge, and a new blogger, offers that perspective of finding the ultimate and the beauty in everyday life. Be sure to check out this new blogger’s work.

It’s hard to focus on the ultimate when drowning in the mundane: a blaring TV as my daughter watches “Jungle Book” while simultaneously playing with her singing crab; a house that’s need for cleaning is in direct inverse proportion to my level of energy and motivation to do so; a wife who moved directly from bed to the computer to work (on a Saturday!). But then I am caught by my daughter’s beauty, by the line of her cheek and jaw which mirrors my wife’s, and I realize I’m living the ultimate and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Sassy Mama Bear is proving to be a versatile gal, moving easily from poetry, to emotional stories, to humor. This week her approach gets the message across with humor and tongue-in-cheek-fun-poking. Comedy is a powerful tool to get messages through defenses. Not to mention, laughing does the body good.

Yes, ladies it has finally happened the ultimate break-through in the fashion industry has come to pass…
They have invented clothing that indeed is “one size fits all.”
Hurry now to the nearest retail chain store as this wonder garment is literally flying off the shelves, as it required the use of parachute material to accomplish this miraculous task. Now mind you skinny gals will grab them even though they have no need what so ever, so don’t delay shop now.
It is the ultimate sale, for an ultimate item…
And now we return you back to life and reality.

~ Penelope Anne
June 27, 2008

I think Lceel is officially the longest and most active participant in the 100 Word Challenge. I’m always tickled to see what description of me he introduces me with. Sometimes I’m left to contemplate just a couple of words for a while. If you are familiar with his other challenge entries, you will remember that he sometimes finds himself writing about our propensity for war, the suffering it causes, the needlessness of it all, and asking why. These pieces are not only emotionally compelling, but timely as the war in Iraq wages on yet gets further and further from the front pages. We should never forget that we have sent human beings into a war that will forever change them…if they survive.

He lay on a pallet, one in a long row of pallets. He seemed to be sleeping. There were twelve. They had all been shot by the same sniper. They were all dead.
I met Jimmy when we guarded Viet Cong prisoners at Phu Bai. We were friends. We were both going to be going home about the same time. He wanted to introduce me to his sister. He hoped I would marry her.
He lay on the pallet with a small purple hole in his chest. He had paid the ultimate price. Then, as now, the question is, Why?

This one from Marco Kaufman came in by email and isn’t published on his blog, but I still want to link to his blog, The Big Book of Grievances, so you can check out his fiction. Welcome to the challenge Marco!

“If I come home,” he said, “things’ll have to change drastically.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“You can’t see him anymore. No more phone calls or letters either.”

“I don’t think I can cut him off completely.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve known him a long time. Even if what happened was a mistake, why should I freeze him out?”

“We’re married. If you want to stay married, he has to go.”

“Are you giving me an ultimatum?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, I don’t give in to ultimatums.”

“That’s a shame,” he said, hanging up. He filed for divorce the next day.

That’s all folks! I’ll be updating the main 100 Words page soon with the latest challenges and any of you new participants.  And Lceel, I will be getting to passing on that bloggie award you gave me.   I’m still reading House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. It is fabulously brilliant with an introduction by Marilyn French. This week’s word is

Hour