Author  Suzanne Burke  offers another photo prompt and invites readers to respond through prose or poetry. Her “Fiction in A Flash Challenge” image for this week is an old pier.

As I looked at the photo, I imagined dancing on the pier with a lover and then returning at a much later date alone. The image carries sadness for me and the movement of time. I tried to capture those sentiments in my poem. 
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I was driving an old U-Haul truck from Davis, California to Irvine going south on Interstate 5, when things went terribly wrong.

Packed with everything I owned, the truck lumbered up and down hills until it found its pace in the San Joaquin Valley. A few hours into the journey, I felt rather good about myself. I had just accepted a new position in Irvine, and it seemed that everything was working out perfectly. I had sold my home and found another, and soon I would be living within an easy drive to family.

All was well until the truck’s warning lights flashed and steam started rising from the hood.

My usual response to any car problem was to call my dad. But I didn’t want to do that. I knew what he would say. After a barely audible mumble, he’d ask. “You didn’t bring water?!” In my defense, I didn't know that Bakersfield is hot, very hot, in July. A phone call would mean a confession, and I was too proud to admit that I simply had forgotten to bring water. I quickly pulled over to a nearby rest stop.

While steam hissed from the radiator, I paced and fought back all the nasty things I wanted to say to the U-Haul guy who assigned me the truck. Beads of sweat quickly evaporated in the 115 degree temperature and I was miserable. I spun around to look for shade and noticed a water fountain. An answer to prayer? I looked in the cab for a container and found none. I checked the trash bins, but they were recently emptied. Then it hit me, I had no way to carry water.

I was nursing my despair on the curbside when an older couple drove into the parking spot next to my truck. Seeing my distress, the gentleman came over and asked if I needed help.

I started to explain my drama, how I was peacefully driving down the freeway when the warning lights went off and then and then… I paused. I realized that the gentleman’s eyes had glazed. I quickly responded, “Yes, sir, I need help.”

He walked back to his car and returned with a gallon of water. “You know ma’am, you should always travel with water.” I nodded and thought of dad. This was a lesson I would never forget.   
The couple disappeared for a few minutes and then returned to their car. Before leaving, the elderly gentleman explained what I needed to do after the steam subsided and wished me well. I thanked him profusely for his help and especially for the gallon of water.

I thought of this roadside encounter as I watched the news this morning. With all the chaos and noise that surrounds us, it is easy to forget the goodness of people. I’ve often wondered about the kind Black gentleman who came to my aid that summer day. Could he have been an angel?  

Author  Suzanne Burke  offers a weekly photo prompt and invites readers to respond through prose or poetry. Her “Fiction in A Flash Challenge” image for this week is a lighthouse. If you'd like to join in the fun, just click on her name and you'll be taken to her website. There you'll find instructions and encouragement. 

As I studied the prompt, I thought of storms at sea and sailors helped to safety. Then I thought of you and me, finding our way through a squall of threats and conspiracies. Not so surprisingly, I found hope in the one Light that is never dimmed completely.  

​I hope you enjoy my Haiku contribution: 
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The Fourth of July was a favorite holiday of my parents. Both of them proudly served during WWII, mom as a "Rosie the Riveter", dad in the Navy. They were modest people and rarely talked about their experience, but their respect for our country was apparent. Like many in the Fifties, they had little but gave everything. They lived their truth and it became mine. 

No matter where we live, we have traveled through sorrows and joys to arrive at this one defining moment. With fireworks blasting and riots threatening, we hope and pray for a tomorrow that unites and does not divide. So it is that in the midst of confusion and violence, I pause and offer thanksgiving to all who serve.

Thank you - to my husband and brother and brother-in-laws for their service during Vietnam. Thank you - to all my cousins and nephews who serve or have served in the Middle East. Thank you - to my nephew in the Border Patrol and to my nephews who serve or have served in the police force. Thank you - to all those in my extended family who are or were in the medical profession. Thank you - to those teachers in the family who are trying to make a difference.

Thank you - to all near and far who have withstood hardship, embraced sacrifice, and held tight to hope - for our country, for our families, and for our tomorrows. 

Author Suzanne Burke provides a weekly “Fiction in A Flash Challenge!” prompt and invites interested folks to respond. This week's image is of a father and his baby. If you are interested, please go to her website for details and suggestions. 

My contribution is a Haiku poem, a 3-lined poem characterized by 17 syllables. When I saw the photo, a song began playing over and over in my thoughts. My dad would sing this song and perhaps your father did as well. It begins: Hush little baby, don’t say a word; Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird...