Author Robert C. Madison
@robertcmadison.bsky.social
Writer of fiction, reader of books. Rider of motorcycle, petter of cats.
#Ghosts whisper to me on occasion, usually #timed when I least expect it. They say they're a #marker of the past, of the history of a certain place, insisting they must echo things not to be forgotten. What they need to do is stop scaring the shit out of me.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
"We need to discuss the budget."
"Sure thing. I'd love to talk about #tennis."
"What? That's hardly #relevant."
"It absolutely is."
"How so?"
"Because I really don't want to talk about the budget."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Sure thing. I'd love to talk about #tennis."
"What? That's hardly #relevant."
"It absolutely is."
"How so?"
"Because I really don't want to talk about the budget."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
November 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
"We need to discuss the budget."
"Sure thing. I'd love to talk about #tennis."
"What? That's hardly #relevant."
"It absolutely is."
"How so?"
"Because I really don't want to talk about the budget."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Sure thing. I'd love to talk about #tennis."
"What? That's hardly #relevant."
"It absolutely is."
"How so?"
"Because I really don't want to talk about the budget."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
There was nothing #specific about him. His goal in life was "to be successful." While handsome, he looked like every model in department store catalogue from the '80s. His favorite food was "soup." Just a boring guy.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
November 21, 2025 at 1:20 PM
There was nothing #specific about him. His goal in life was "to be successful." While handsome, he looked like every model in department store catalogue from the '80s. His favorite food was "soup." Just a boring guy.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
Beware the warning of #action in repose, like the eyes of a cat, impossibly large an instant before the pounce.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
November 20, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Beware the warning of #action in repose, like the eyes of a cat, impossibly large an instant before the pounce.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
Drifting off as dreams say #goodbye to #reality. What fanciful adventures await? Oh! What's this? I find #hickory flooring under the carpet in the living room. What wild concepts my middle-aged mind conjures. Still, I fist bump the unicorn eating pizza.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
November 18, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Drifting off as dreams say #goodbye to #reality. What fanciful adventures await? Oh! What's this? I find #hickory flooring under the carpet in the living room. What wild concepts my middle-aged mind conjures. Still, I fist bump the unicorn eating pizza.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Grainy smiles still warm in an old #photo. What dreams and #goals they have shining in their eyes, captured forever on glossy paper.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
November 17, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Grainy smiles still warm in an old #photo. What dreams and #goals they have shining in their eyes, captured forever on glossy paper.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Why are you wasting your time with those #science experiments?" asked the #rich man.
"To make the world better," I said.
"For whom?" he asked.
"But who benefits from all your wealth?"
"What a ridiculous question."
"Precisely," I said.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"To make the world better," I said.
"For whom?" he asked.
"But who benefits from all your wealth?"
"What a ridiculous question."
"Precisely," I said.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
November 14, 2025 at 1:11 PM
"Why are you wasting your time with those #science experiments?" asked the #rich man.
"To make the world better," I said.
"For whom?" he asked.
"But who benefits from all your wealth?"
"What a ridiculous question."
"Precisely," I said.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"To make the world better," I said.
"For whom?" he asked.
"But who benefits from all your wealth?"
"What a ridiculous question."
"Precisely," I said.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
I attended a party held at a mansion of one of the city's most opulent residents. After hors d'oeuvres, wanting to avoid empty chat with vapid characters, I walked the halls. Each bathroom had a #number of sinks. Who needs this many #faucets? Maybe to wash off the stink of caviar.
#vss365 #vssdaily
#vss365 #vssdaily
November 13, 2025 at 1:28 PM
I grew up on a #block where kids told tales of a group of wild bullies which ruled the streets after dark. A gang of vicious older kids with huge egos as thin as balloons. Perhaps no #myth, we fled home to safety each evening when the street lights burned.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
November 12, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I grew up on a #block where kids told tales of a group of wild bullies which ruled the streets after dark. A gang of vicious older kids with huge egos as thin as balloons. Perhaps no #myth, we fled home to safety each evening when the street lights burned.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#Roller coaster of emotions, from resounding glee to a pit of despair. What full #measure of character does it take to stay optimistic?
Don't forget your #meds, I guess.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Don't forget your #meds, I guess.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
November 11, 2025 at 1:07 PM
#Roller coaster of emotions, from resounding glee to a pit of despair. What full #measure of character does it take to stay optimistic?
Don't forget your #meds, I guess.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Don't forget your #meds, I guess.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
He never read any #literature, proclaiming he had neither the time nor interest. Thus, on his deathbed, when he realized all the adventures he had missed, he proclaimed with an appropriate lack of imagination, " #Oops!"
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
November 10, 2025 at 1:11 PM
He never read any #literature, proclaiming he had neither the time nor interest. Thus, on his deathbed, when he realized all the adventures he had missed, he proclaimed with an appropriate lack of imagination, " #Oops!"
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"What was your dissertation?"
"Donuts."
"What?"
"Well, officially, 'The Baker's Dozen Isn't Enough: #History and and Societal Impacts of Donuts Since the Industrial Revolution.'"
"Huh. What'd you glean from your research?"
"13 isn't enough donuts. And about 20 pounds."
#vss365 #amwriting
"Donuts."
"What?"
"Well, officially, 'The Baker's Dozen Isn't Enough: #History and and Societal Impacts of Donuts Since the Industrial Revolution.'"
"Huh. What'd you glean from your research?"
"13 isn't enough donuts. And about 20 pounds."
#vss365 #amwriting
November 7, 2025 at 1:34 PM
"What was your dissertation?"
"Donuts."
"What?"
"Well, officially, 'The Baker's Dozen Isn't Enough: #History and and Societal Impacts of Donuts Since the Industrial Revolution.'"
"Huh. What'd you glean from your research?"
"13 isn't enough donuts. And about 20 pounds."
#vss365 #amwriting
"Donuts."
"What?"
"Well, officially, 'The Baker's Dozen Isn't Enough: #History and and Societal Impacts of Donuts Since the Industrial Revolution.'"
"Huh. What'd you glean from your research?"
"13 isn't enough donuts. And about 20 pounds."
#vss365 #amwriting
Impossible cartography, tracking the tectonic shifting #geography of the soft, purring ranges upon the comforter as they chase the sun with imperceptible movement.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
November 6, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Impossible cartography, tracking the tectonic shifting #geography of the soft, purring ranges upon the comforter as they chase the sun with imperceptible movement.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
Went to this dive bar #famous for their burgers. They didn't say how well the whiskey flows there, so I can't remember the burger. The devil's in the details, and I think he has a booth in the back of that bar.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
November 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Went to this dive bar #famous for their burgers. They didn't say how well the whiskey flows there, so I can't remember the burger. The devil's in the details, and I think he has a booth in the back of that bar.
#vss365 #amwriting
#vss365 #amwriting
In the end, they #waged war on #education, which, not coincidentally, was very much an uneducated thing to do.
#vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting
November 4, 2025 at 12:48 PM
In the end, they #waged war on #education, which, not coincidentally, was very much an uneducated thing to do.
#vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting
Hours spent doing #domestic chores. I tell myself it's a #blessing; not everyone has the ability to complete such menial tasks or a home in which to do them.
No, I still hate chores.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
No, I still hate chores.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
November 3, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Hours spent doing #domestic chores. I tell myself it's a #blessing; not everyone has the ability to complete such menial tasks or a home in which to do them.
No, I still hate chores.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
No, I still hate chores.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Sun #rays warm #cherry floors. The perfect cook regardless of season. Ask the cat pastries baking within.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
October 30, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Sun #rays warm #cherry floors. The perfect cook regardless of season. Ask the cat pastries baking within.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Heavy fog #merges with the countryside like a murky dream. A once familiar landscape now a muted #argent canvas, waiting to be saved by a merciful sun.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
October 29, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Heavy fog #merges with the countryside like a murky dream. A once familiar landscape now a muted #argent canvas, waiting to be saved by a merciful sun.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Under the shimmering #arch of the canopy of a small wood, we spent summer afternoons #experimenting. Some days we'd build a fort from branches, others a space craft from the same materials. Whatever we did came from the hot #ignition of pure imagination.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
October 28, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Under the shimmering #arch of the canopy of a small wood, we spent summer afternoons #experimenting. Some days we'd build a fort from branches, others a space craft from the same materials. Whatever we did came from the hot #ignition of pure imagination.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Soon the leaves will be raked to the curb like yesterday's #trash, but I enjoy them for now, a red blanket hugging summer's lawn against the #creep of winter's bite.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
October 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Soon the leaves will be raked to the curb like yesterday's #trash, but I enjoy them for now, a red blanket hugging summer's lawn against the #creep of winter's bite.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
In my dream, everything went back to normal. Birds sang, the sun shone bright, and people went about their daily tasks as if existential dread didn't loom ever present. There was a #martian who followed me around and hit rim shots of a #snare, but hey, it was a dream.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
October 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
In my dream, everything went back to normal. Birds sang, the sun shone bright, and people went about their daily tasks as if existential dread didn't loom ever present. There was a #martian who followed me around and hit rim shots of a #snare, but hey, it was a dream.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Opaque #fog hung across the valley. Even the sun had no power over it. We stayed upon our porch, wondering when it would dissipate. Then we heard something that let us know sometimes what's out there should remain #unseen.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
October 23, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Opaque #fog hung across the valley. Even the sun had no power over it. We stayed upon our porch, wondering when it would dissipate. Then we heard something that let us know sometimes what's out there should remain #unseen.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
There is no doubt who rules this house, two co-equal #kings whose domain I am fortunate to share. Clean for them, provide ample feasts, and in the evening I become their throne, with just enough #energy for pets to earn their praise of purring. I'm a grateful subject.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
October 22, 2025 at 12:05 PM
There is no doubt who rules this house, two co-equal #kings whose domain I am fortunate to share. Clean for them, provide ample feasts, and in the evening I become their throne, with just enough #energy for pets to earn their praise of purring. I'm a grateful subject.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Spilled tea into the #saucer not a waste but an #opportunity to lessen the #crunch of an over-baked biscuit.
(Or cookie, for those against or less attuned to alliteration.)
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
(Or cookie, for those against or less attuned to alliteration.)
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
October 21, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Spilled tea into the #saucer not a waste but an #opportunity to lessen the #crunch of an over-baked biscuit.
(Or cookie, for those against or less attuned to alliteration.)
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
(Or cookie, for those against or less attuned to alliteration.)
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting