Writing to Explore

For my English 1103, I have a weekly assignment called a "Writing to Explore" It has 2 requirements: 1) have something to do with the prompt. 2) be creative. It's a lot of fun (except when I have too many other things to do & have to "do it to be done" - that makes me sad). Anyway, I'll post a couple that I especially like on here. This one was in response to a prompt that asked me to make writing an object or person and describe it.

If writing were an entity, I think it might be a pantry, a nice old fashioned one. Enter, perhaps ravenous, perhaps looking for a quick snack, perhaps preparing for an event in advance, perhaps just to remember what is there~


The knob on the bright door sparkles welcomingly. Opened, the door stands as a buxom matron, ushering one and all into its cozy kingdom. Pale, cheery walls invite as a conglomerate of sensations assail.

The staples sit at the ready, front and center for easy access: hearty wheat bread, bags of rice, cans of beans, large containers brimming with oatmeal and breakfast cereal, arranged and stacked in neat rows for quick access, backlit by an ivy-covered porthole window. Industrial quantities of the same pile high the shelves behind a set of pots and pans, a series of spoons of various sizes, and other useful equipment, worn in proportion to their constant use.

The cacophony of color on the right demands attention: lively jars of jams and jellies, pickles, preserves, and other bright produce carefully conserved for later use, a sparkling sense of preparedness and poise. Splashes of vibrancy, fake against the natural hues, adorn the box mixes and baking supplies standing ready to supply a festive table, side-by-side with snacks and candy tumbled about in old-fashioned crockery.

Nevertheless, the remaining third holds the most alluring spread. Bounded by the crisp doorframe on one side and the stolid staples on the other, an array of special items laze on the shelves: bonbons, chocolates, and other sweets blend confidingly with an assortment of garnishes and spices kept for bold or tasteful flavor. Recipe books bursting with promise load a shelf, while foreign items, unique spices, and special tools grace the remaining ones. And then – tucked where only a piercing eye can see – lie a few quiet metal boxes of time-honored family recipes, all the more precious, somehow, for their obscurity.