Every year, Vivian Kirkfield holds a magical contest– how much story can you pack into only 50 words or less? For more information on how to enter, or to read the hundreds of amazing jewels there, head over to her blog here, but first, let me share mine! The first is not my entry, but rather an exercise: could I write ABOUT the contest and the act of writing poetry in only 50 words? Not only that, but could I make each line of the poem have one more than the one before? I did, and in just 10 lines and 46 words. (Not counting the 3 word coda).

And now for my actual entry — an entry my son calls a bit hypocritical, since I don’t always practice what I preach, but I’m trying! I come by a tiny bit of hoarder instinct quite naturally since my mom’s house has always been stuffed full and even as a little kid I had a hard time parting with old toys and books. But as I’ve often been told, “stuff is just stuff” — it’s the memories that go with it that are important. So please enjoy “FREE” – my entry for the “50 Precious Words” contest. Wish me luck!