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Past Press 53 Submissions

I am currently working on my submission for Press53's October 2025 53-word challenge. This month's prompt is a plant. I like their competitions because they are free and have to be exactly 53 words. I find the restriction forces me to be more creative. Since I'm working in that space today I thought I would post some of my previous entries—none of them are winners.

April 2025:

The prompt was slip.

Sigmund crashed through the woody underbrush, carving a snowy path to Miller’s Pond. At the edge, a surprised rabbit bolted across the ice. The hound followed, the pads of his feet struggling to find purchase but his momentum carrying him forward. He fell and spun across the ice like a furry ninja star.

August 2025:

The prompt was a cycle.

I was a man for far too long.
Bitten by a stray, I’m hairy all day;
Only at night, when the moon is just right, can the man come back and play.
But now when I change it feels wrong.
As a dog I’m virile and strong—until I get neutered one day.

September 2025:

The prompt was tick.

There’s a ghost in Betty’s bed.
As a man he came a-callin’, and filled her achin’ longin’.
Until one night, they had a fight, and everything went red.
He coulda been her common law, but then he wound up dead.
Now she feels him in the straw, when she lays down her head.
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