Hobohemia

It’s Prosery Monday at the dVerse Poets Pub!

Prosery is prose that includes a line from a poem. I will give you the line, and then you incorporate it into a short prose piece. This can be either flash fiction, nonfiction, or creative nonfiction, but it must be prose! And it must be no longer than 144 words, not including the title. It does not have to be exactly 144 words.

“In their dreams they sleep with the moon.”–From Mary Oliver, “Death at Wind River”


It all started early one morning when Hank and Billy were walking to school. There was a big math test that day for which neither boy had studied.

A slow-moving train was passing with several empty box cars.

“Whaddaya say?” Hank grinned and nodded toward the train.

“Hell, yeah!” Billy ran for the train with Hank right behind him. They tossed their schoolbooks overboard once they made it into a box car, never looking back.

That was 40-some years ago, and they were still riding the rails together.

Occasionally Hank and Billy pondered what their lives may have been like had they just taken the damned math test and stayed in school, but both agreed that nothing could beat the hand life had dealt them.

The adventures they’d shared far outweighed any amount jailtime they’d done.

In their dreams they sleep with the moon.

 

SusanWritesPrecise
unheralded.fish

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Comments

15 responses to “Hobohemia”

  1. tedstrutz Avatar

    This is a fine piece of flash fiction, er, prosery

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Thank you, Ted. I didn’t tie the prompt in very well, but maybe I will do something else with it. I appreciate your comments, as always!

      Like

  2. Ron. Avatar

    Oh you got this one, Susan!
    It’s funny how even if you’re on the track or totally off the rails, there’s always a million turns to navigate, no?
    Admirable telling.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Thanks so much, Ron.. Much appreciated!

      Like

  3. slfuchs Avatar

    I think the Aject Muse is a genius, and one day the world will realize it!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. slfuchs Avatar

      Abject not Aject.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Thank you, Stephen. :-)

      Like

  4. robtkistner Avatar

    What a fascinating and extreme way to skip a test. Cool write Susan… :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Thank you, Robert. :-)

      Like

  5. merrildsmith Avatar

    What a pair! It sounds like they’ve had quite a life!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. sanaarizvi Avatar
    sanaarizvi

    I love the adventurous element of this one, Susan! :)

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Dale Avatar

    They are definitely soulmates these two! Fun take!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) Avatar

    I think for some a math test is just a little bit to dull… (for me math was the great adventure)

    Like

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      For me, math was a nemesis. :-)

      Like

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