This week, I am participating in my regular memes, as well as new ones (one since last week and one starting today). A quick look at the memes themselves before heading on to what I have contributed to them
The Friday 56 hosted by Freda:
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
Find any sentence that grabs you and post it. Add your post in the Linky

Book Beginnings hosted over at Rose City Reader:
Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading,
along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions
of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember
to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

Five Minute Friday: I found this meme last week and am enjoying this challenge as well. What do you do here?
Set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – use the prompt provided – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

dVerse Poets Pub–  From their ‘this is us’ page – D’verse Poets Pub is a place for poets and writers to gather to
celebrate poetry. We are many voices, but one song. Our goal is to celebrate; poets, verse & the difference it can make in the world. To discover poetry’s many facets and revel in it’s beauty, even when ugly at times.
Today’s Meeting the Bar exercise is erasure poetry and I was intrigued. I have been a visitor at dVerse before and kept thinking I should join in, and today decided to take the plunge.
Erasure poetry is cool! You can read more about it over at the dVerse Poets Pub

Friday Flash 55 – This one is hosted by G-Man. Write a Friday Flash 55 – anything – a poem, flash fiction of 55 words and link it here.

So what are you waiting for? As soon as you are done reading my contributions to these memes, head on over to them to check out great poems, books, and more.

My contributions:

For Book Beginnings:from ‘Will you please be quiet, please?: The stories of Raymond Carver’
By Raymond Carver

I am sitting over coffee and cigarets at my friend Rita’s and I am telling
her about it.
Here is what I tell her:
It is late of a slow Wednesday when Herb seats the fat man at my station.

This book captured my interest with the title itself and the writing style in these first few lines ignited it further.  I have read a few stories from the book so far and looking forward to reading all of them.

For The Friday 56: from ‘Will you please be quiet, please?: The stories of Raymond Carver’
By Raymond Carver
“She’s eating the mouse,” Jack said.
Helen finished the last of the corn chips. “I told him I didn’t want Cindy
eating a mouse in the bathroom. Jack?” Helen said.

The image of the cover for this book above is the cover of an eBook borrowed from one of the few online book resources I have come to love – OpenLibrary.

For Five Minute Friday:
GO
Every time I hear the word wonder, I immediately recall the lyrics to the song ‘Lemon Tree’ by Fool’s Garden – ‘I wonder how, I wonder why, Yesterday you told be about the blue, blue sky’.
I am filled with wonderful feelings and at the same time, I wonder –  at the marvel the world is, at how my lovely kids came to be mine, at how I was born to my wonderful parents, how my family is just what I want it to be.
Everytime it rains and the sun comes out, I make it a point to look for the rainbow and I wonder at the beauty of the rainbow – everytime! Reading the printed word and the joy it brings; taking a walk with my friends as we chat; hiking the familiar and now well-loved trail so close to home with my husband and kids and the view from the top of the hill; all of this fills me with wonder – everytime I do it.
There is so much joy from each and every thing we see and do everyday,
And from the bigger, unexpected, lovely surprises that come our way..
I am glad I am me!..
STOP

For dVerse erasure poetry prompt and Friday Flash 55