The 6S Social Network
What can YOU say in six sentences?
Anthony Venutolo's Blog (68)
THE BOOTLEGGER (PROSE POEM)
His outfit was buried deep within the foothills
of the North Carolina Appalachian mountains and
his potent clear liquid made him a local legend.
They called his hooch White Lightnin;
Who Shot Sally and even Brown Mule.
But Popcorn Sutton knew you were The Law
if you came around askin' for that 'White Liquor.'
Descendant from a long line of moonshiners,
Popcorn took his art seriously and would often
brag that he… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on December 2, 2009 at 1:28pm — No Comments
GETTIN' DIRECTIONS IN JERSEY: HOSPITALITY IN THE GARDEN STATE
Who's this guy walkin' towards my car? Whats he… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on October 29, 2009 at 12:30pm — 7 Comments
Mr. P
He was an odd chap who'd slam down his dusty books every morning, tinker with an unkempt mustache and speak in an formalized and grand English we never really heard before.
Unconventional and odd, he ignored our given text and asked us kids for help in his own compositions, thereby illustrating to us the ins and the outs of the… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on October 27, 2009 at 11:30pm — 6 Comments
HER OTHER CHILDREN (prose poem)
had enough energy to disrobe,
much less play with a toddler.
But it had to be done.
Once the boy was asleep, she'd
sneak downstairs to be with her
other children who waited
patiently for her each evening.
There wasn't a night that went
by that she didn't long for them
and there they were. Loyal.
Her three boys, in waiting.
Proudly.
Standing… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on October 22, 2009 at 12:00am — 5 Comments
'NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER' (VIDEO)
I just made a new video/slideshow that you might enjoy, folks. With the help (and glorious audio) of Tom Waits, this is my ode to the diner lifestyle. We've all been there after a night of boozing or fun on the town... Take a look at the subjects and enjoy the faces in this short slideshow - they all have stories to tell.
That's why I think it came out pretty good.
Oh -- and extra points… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on October 19, 2009 at 12:04am — 3 Comments
THE SUIT (PROSE POEM)
He looked at her,
annoyed. Frustrated.
Again, she was on
one of her rampages
and he wasn't making
matters any easier.
After throwing a glass,
instead of something worse,
he went downstairs and
snatched the scotch.
It went down good.
A bit too fucking good.
Another sip.
And then, he remembered
their first date; went
to his closet and tried
to find the suit he… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on October 15, 2009 at 12:30am — 5 Comments
OUR OTHER INFLUENCES (CHALLENGE)
Every writer here has had influences and many of my friends can probably cite mine as I theirs. But I got to thinking the other night, there have been "other" significant influences in my writing life that made me first aware that this craft we all love can be much more than a hobby but a way of life and even a profession.
So in this challenge, I'd be curious for you to express not your overt writing influences… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on October 7, 2009 at 12:01am — 13 Comments
WAY LATE... (PROSE POEM)
WAY LATE
Nothing safe comes after midnight.
At least that's how
I've… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 29, 2009 at 11:54pm — 6 Comments
GUY WALKS IN A BAR CHALLENGE: NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE ME
It was in mid-August and about three in the afternoon when I saw this elderly man, a stranger to me, limp up to the juke and labor over his selections. At the start of the first note, he smiled and made way towards the bar, dragging his cane slightly behind him.
After serving him my best sarsaparilla he told me that it was a special day and that he wished he could be with his daughter.
We… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 29, 2009 at 12:19am — 13 Comments
Graduation day, 1940
Look at them. Dumb as it sounds, these chaps chucked it all and gathered enough scratch to put themselves through Clown College during the Great Depression.
Some would stowaway to Europe and practice their craft in an elegant manner while others would stay in the States, hopping onto carnies in the Dust Bowl that migrated towards California and the movies.
The rugged types, though, usually headed towards either the big… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 22, 2009 at 12:00am — 12 Comments
KALITZ CHALLENGE: WHAT WOULD SWAYZE DO?
It was Fall of 1987 and all I can remember about it now was how crisp the air seemed.
After waiting what seemed like an hour on her couch, Darlene and I hopped into my 1978 Buick La Sabre and headed towards the movie, my first with a girl.
As we watched Johnny Castle take baby out of her corner, all I could think… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 17, 2009 at 9:30pm — 10 Comments
COUNTING SIX CHALLENGE: MORE THAN ENOUGH
One time was all it took for me to be pushed.
Two beers and a jukebox tune into my night, I watched them walk in and I dreaded what would follow.
Three ugly dudes with Brillo pads for beards decided that this was the night they'd wreak havoc on an otherwise peaceful joint and saddled up to me at the bar.
Four typists getting the jump on happy hour drew straws to see which one of these hoods would park their boots… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 17, 2009 at 1:09am — 8 Comments
Dan's challenge - CHEEVER
So I give you ...
"WHAT IF CHEEVER WROTE A SIX'
He had a rough day in the city and after a jarring ride from Grand Central, the… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 15, 2009 at 11:29pm — 9 Comments
FANTASY SCRIBE CHALLENGE: THE WELL
Now and again, all writers go back to the well - that place they tap into where inspiration and dreams are born.
Like an assembly line in a jailhouse cafeteria, the well gave Hemingway his graceful brevity, it's where Dante Alighieri first drummed up that wretched descent and where Fitzgerald conjured his flights of fancy.
Edgar Allen went there frequently but one night after dipping his hand deep into that chasm of… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 8, 2009 at 12:01am — 9 Comments
NOIR CHALLENGE: TWO WORTHLESS PARTNERS
The lacquer cracker on the jukebox kept skipping so I told that bum of a barkeep to unplug the hunk-of-junk once and for all. It wasn't a time for the rah-rah's of wartime propaganda and I needed to think.
Think about my two crumb-bum partners. Think about which of 'em deserve the loot to begin with. Think about how I could hop a freight with the dough and no one would see this two-bit newsman again.
But then I heard the… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on September 3, 2009 at 6:56pm — 5 Comments
POPEYE THE OCTAGENARIAN
In his younger days he was spry but now he's just impatient. At 94, he could still pack a punch, pulling triple duty mumbling to himself and sucking on a corncob pipe.
While his longshoreman days are long behind him, the love he holds for his dearly-departed 'goil' Olive remains as strong as… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on August 28, 2009 at 2:30pm — 10 Comments
THE PIPE DREAMERS
He met her on the highway.
She was sitting Indian-style on the side of her beat-to-crap Pontiac Fiero wishing she could find the spare, wishing she had AAA and wishing that someone would just drive by.
He was on his way to Tinseltown to write for the pictures and she was going to Vegas to become a full time poker player. By the time he managed to actually find the spare (which was in the front of the car) she knew that he… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on August 3, 2009 at 12:27am — 3 Comments
YOU'LL BE MISSED...
I sit here numb on a Friday night, late, staring at TV images of a legend gone forever. This generation's last mania-inducing legend.
Mad genius and oddball eccentric he was part Howard Hughes, part Elvis, part Mickey Mouse and that's what made him, him.
Scandals aside, my adolescence and to a large degree, even my early adulthood was consumed by his essence.
I wasn't alone. There wasn't a tucked away… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on June 27, 2009 at 1:27am — 3 Comments
LAYOVER IN AN AIRPORT LOUNGE (prose poem)
I was at the airport recently
when I saddled up to a gentleman
in the lounge.
People were smoking.
She brought me my usual in this
most unusual of places.
At least for me.
It had been years since I was in
an airport lounge alone and I
couldn't help my body language from
advertising it.
My plane wasn't in for at
least an hour and I had
enough time to kill before
the… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on June 13, 2009 at 11:48am — 7 Comments
BARRY'S AWKWARD ELEVATOR CHALLENGE: THE LIZARD KING MEETS JACK
With his tight leather pants and a swagger to embarrass Mae West on a bad night, the Lizard King entered the Waldorf elevator and saw Jack, one of his literary idols.
"Hey man, you're Jack Kerouac..." the shaman-like guy asked, mellow and low.
Thift shop chic and effortlessly handsome, Jack was in the… Continue
Added by Anthony Venutolo on May 13, 2009 at 9:00pm — 7 Comments
Latest Blog Posts
Most Popular Blog Posts
© 2013 Created by Robert McEvily.
Powered by
