Lmst

“And that, Your Majesty, is how the two princes ended up back-to-back, riding into the throne room on one jackass,” the Court Jester concluded his story with a bow.

The King laughed heartily, and the court laughed with him. The Jester grabbed three pewter goblets off the nearest table and juggled them.

“We do all love you, dear Jester,” said a hook-nosed baron.

“Love me? You should all cower in my presence!” the Jester replied as he caught the last goblet.

“Why would we do that? You’re harmless fun,” inquired a duchess with a pointed chin.

“Who would the King trust more than one who makes him laugh?”

An awkward silence filled the room.

Then the King burst out laughing. A moment later, so did everyone else.

#MastoPrompt #microfiction #cower

@stevencudahy

#MastoPrompt #Cower #Poetry #Writing #Poem #SmallPoem #Politics

From A Place Of Safety

It's an easy thing, from a place of safety,
To tell the oppressed and threatened
Not to cower, a different thing, when in
Their place of danger, not to do so,
Not to run and hide, and instead to
Stand up and protest, and invite the
Inevitable retribution, however illegal
It might be, when the judiciary too
Is suppressed. Don't rest easy, even
If you still think you are safe; this
Black plague of fascism is more
Contagious than the old biological
One, and no-one has yet been brave
Enough to invent a vaccination.

R 28/04/2025 19:10 Norwich

#MastoPrompt 28 April 2025 : #cower

Bullied, cajoled, pushed, shouted at and all the while expected to #cower, the victims must stand tall and confront their antagonists.

It will be a war.

Of wills.
Of needs vs wants.
Of sharing vs coveting.
Of the majority vs the minority.

May it never be necessary to go beyond votes to win this war of attrition.

Only when the silent majority finds its voice will the narrow-minded, selfish, cruel and greedy minority bend to its will.

at the very end
it makes no sense to cower
in an hour of need

#haiku #poetry #PoetryCommunity #writing #WritingCommunity

#MastoPrompt #cower
@stevencudahy

A dark cloud
Of fear, of anxiety, of panic
Came from the sea
Of challanges and problems
Jumping in this world
So well.
Humans used to cower,
Hoping that
Nothing could see
The little living being.
But that is not the way...
Just one among all
Stood up.
That human faced
The fear
Not avoiding it
But accepting the humanity
Of that feeling.
That human was the first
To feel better.
The dark cloud started
Stepping back and
Fading.

-Debora Radice

#MastroPrompt
@stevencudahy
#cower

@poetry #poetry

The #MastoPrompt for Monday 28 April 2025 is:

#cower

The poem or story can include the prompt word or be about the prompt word.

@ me, if you like, or just include the #MastoPrompt tag (to allow people to follow or filter their feeds), or keep your work to yourself - all the options are good as long as you're writing.

If you're including an image please do include alt-text if you’re able to.

#Writing #SmallPoem #Poetry #Fiction #MicroFiction #SmallStories