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Greetings, Earthlings!

This week’s ultimate question (“Which way to go?”) took us in all different directions. It made for some tough decisions, both in your stories and on the grid. Six gargleblaster virgins and six hitchhikers joined our little traveling party this week. Let’s give them a grand yeah write welcome! Pull up a chair, folks; rest your feet. I’ll pour you a generous glass of the best drink in existence.

Crowd favorite

Angie takes the gargleblaster #162 crowd favorite prize with her bittersweet, sorrowful tribute to a beloved family member. From the dedication (“For Sandra who will always love Bob”) to the single egg, we were captivated. Here is I Wade Through:

i wade through the house

in deep water ~

i forget how to swim

in the kitchen

i sink

to the place you drowned

i rise and crack

one egg

over the skillet

and everything

without you is wrong ~

wet clothes,

this egg

There aren’t enough words to express the grief of losing a loved one, but Angie crafted a beautiful 42-word response. Congratulations, Angie. I think it’s fair to say we all loved your poem. I hope Sandra read this and found a tiny bit of comfort. Please pick up your winner’s badge in the sidebar and wear it proudly.

Editor’s pick

There were so many wonderful entries this week that deciding on an editor’s pick was almost painful. But there’s no doubt that Meg’s lovely, lyrical description of the distant hills deserves special mention. Meg answers the question very literally, but with stunning imagery and vivid metaphors.

Follow the Devil’s Backbone, she says, pointing to the trail. Pine tree roots form the vertebrae. The devil has scoliosis, curved, up to the neck of the ridge. There you will see the valley, the palm of God’s hand. Biblical, this land.

Meg says that she can “noodle over one line for hours.” That kind of attention to word choice and placement makes all the difference between a good piece and a really great one. Meg blogs at Pigspittle, Ohio, which is a made-up name for a real place, and this appears to be her very first gargleblaster. Welcome, Meg, and congratulations. You’ll find a badge just for you over there in the sidebar.

Top row seven*

In addition to Angie, these folks walk away with a top row seven badge: Forty c’est fantastique for Which Way to Go?, yours truly for The Only Way Out, Jennifer Knoblock for One Way, Nate James for Crossing St. Clair, Zeudy Tiger for Which Way to Go?, and Archita for On Fire. Well done, everyone! Don’t forget your badges.

The gargleblaster grid is now sorted in order of votes from most to fewest. It’s always a tight race and a wonderful opportunity to learn from your fellow grid-mates.

* I realize that your browser may not display the grid in neat rows of seven, but mine does. Therefore, the Top Row 7.

There’s more to life than gargleblasters

Hard as it is to believe, there are other challenges out there at yeah write! Go ahead — take a few minutes to check out this week’s challenge grid (for personal essays and traditional blog anecdotes) and the speakeasy (for fiction). Read, comment, get to know the community. And if the mood strikes you, submit your own post: the challenge grid and speakeasy are open until 10:00 PM Eastern on Wednesday. We know you won’t all make the grid every week, but don’t panic! The moonshine grid opens on Friday and we’d love to see you there.


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