The Metaphor Café

What’s a song that always puts you in a good mood? People often ask what song always puts me in a good mood. For me, the answer is easy: ABBA’s Dancing Queen.Not because I am a dancing queen. Nor because I am young and sweet. And certainly not because I am seventeen. If I were seventeen, my knees would be filing a formal complaint.The true reason is that, Dancing Queen possesses restorative…

In response to Christine’s Simply 6 minutes Challenge for June 9, 2026 https://wp.me/pbhg2m-8sn Prompt: Image below Set up a timer or sit near a clock so you can keep track of the six minutes you will be writing.You can either use one of the prompts (photo or written) or you can free-write.Get ready and write for 6 minutes, that is it!  I have spent enough time watching birds to know that…

In response to Vinitha’s Fiction Monday Prompt: Threat https://wp.me/p4WEAw-2i3 Dear Threat,I have spent a considerable portion of my life trying to avoid you. It seems only fair, after all. You have never had an excellent reputation. Nobody greets your arrival with applause. Nobody rushes to open the door. The very mention of your name causes people to lock things, cancel plans, seek…

In response to pensivity’s 3TC #MM450 https://wp.me/p3RSgb-wT2 Your three words today are:PEPPERPITCHPERCH Image Credits: ©PaletteNPixels There was once a bird so small that a raindrop looked like a lake to her. Her feathers shimmered silver by day and gold by night, and she lived in a place where ordinary things behaved in extraordinary ways.The stars, for instance, grew on vines.The wind…

In response to Fandango’s Story Starter #250 #FSS https://wp.me/pfZzxd-uFM This week’s Story Starter teaser is:The thief had left behind his usual calling card — a box of chocolates. “The thief had left behind his usual calling card – a box of chocolates.”Inspector D’Souza stared at the evidence table.A diamond necklace worth two million dollars had vanished. The security guards had seen…

In response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge https://wp.me/p3RSgb-wWY Prompt: Image below Nobody in the town remembered when the sign first appeared. One spring morning, there it was – a bright red STOP sign nailed to the trunk of the oldest tree in Willow Lane.It wasn’t near a road. It wasn’t warning drivers. It stood in the middle of a grassy field where children chased…

In response to Fandango’s One Word Challenge Prompt: Burden https://wp.me/pfZzxd-uCR People often speak of burdens in dramatic tones. They write books about carrying the weight of the world. Philosophers discuss the burden of existence. Heroes stagger beneath the burden of destiny.Meanwhile, I carry something far heavier.My smartphone.Not physically, of course. It weighs less than a sandwich.…

In response to Ragtag daily prompt RDP Tuesday: Kindness https://wp.me/s9YcOU-kindness There was once a king who wished to reward the kindest man in his kingdom. Being a modern ruler, he appointed a committee.The committee met for three years.The first year was spent defining kindness.The second year was spent debating whether kindness was merely disguised selfishness.The third year was spent…

In response to Esther’s Laughing Along With A Limerick https://wp.me/p3vsTb-9Ox Prompt: Jelly There once was a wobble of jelly,Who lived in the pocket of Nellie.It jiggled all day,Then wobbled away,And returned in the boot of her wellie. © Rohini 2009–2025.All text, prose, images, and artwork presented herein are the original intellectual property of the author. All rights reserved.No part of…

What’s a fear you’ve overcome — and how did you do it? There is a story about a Library of Departures.It is not a library of books, but of people. Endless shelves stretch beyond sight, each holding a small lantern. Every lantern represents a human life. Some burn brightly for a century. Others flicker briefly and vanish. Yet every lantern, without exception, eventually goes dark.One day, a…

The porch swing, my grandmother’s whisper – “Never let your worries grow taller than your tomatoes” , has stayed with me for years. I’m re-sharing this story about how resilience shows up in daily rituals, in shared meals, and in the kindness of neighbors. Longevity, I’ve learned, is less about counting birthdays and more about filling days with connection, purpose, and lightness. Share a small…

What’s the best advice you have given to yourself A Tiny ForewordThis was meant to be posted yesterday.Apparently, my commitment to “Start before you’re ready” does not always extend to pressing the “Post” button.Still, delayed is not defeated.So here it is, one day older, none the wiser, and ready to share the best advice I’ve ever given myself. Image Credits: ©PaletteNPixels If you ask me…

In response to Missy’s MAD Challenge #096 https://mad-missy-work.blog/2026/06/08/missys-mad-challenge-096/ Prompt: He wasn’t supposed to be there—but then again, neither was I. He wasn’t supposed to be there, but then again, neither was I.That was my first thought when I opened the kitchen door at 2:17 a.m. and found a complete stranger staring into my refrigerator.We both froze.He held a…

In response to Ragtagdailyprompt RDP Monday: Puerile https://wp.me/p9YcOU-6qZ I recently discovered the word puerile, and it caused me considerably more distress than any vocabulary word has a right to.For those unfamiliar with it, puerile means childishly silly, immature, trivial, lacking the seriousness one would expect from a fully functioning adult. The moment I read the definition, I felt…

In response to pensivity’s Three Things Challenge #MM448 Your three words today are:NIGHTINGALENORMALNEWS https://wp.me/p3RSgb-wSV The year the colors began to fade, nobody noticed at first.Children still walked to school, parents still hurried to work, and every evening the news seemed filled with stories that made people sigh and shake their heads. Life looked perfectly normal, but little by…

In response to Brenda Warren’s Sunday Whirl Wordle #760 Prompt: tolls spell inclined mind find pretending sigh hit guilty fine fault liar https://wp.me/p1CKcK-ZM Our home has a peculiar corner.It sits quietly between the bookshelf and the window, pretending to be an ordinary patch of wall. Visitors never notice it. Delivery people walk right past it. Even the cat ignores it.But every night…

In response to GirlieontheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story https://wp.me/pFebB-8v3 Prompt: Option A notice outside the supermarket announced, “Choose Your Free Option: A Million Dollars, Eternal Wisdom, or a Mystery Box.” The crowd rushed toward the million dollars while a professor proudly selected eternal wisdom. Being naturally gifted at making questionable decisions, I chose the…