If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

That’s the spin-off of the Golden Rule with which I was raised. It’s a solid philosophy. Guaranteed to win friends and keep them.

And it haunts me in my writing. Not a particularly helpful adage when one is trying to offer up a post five days a week. There are many a morn when “nice” just isn’t what the Muse is offering. Not that unkind words are spewing forth, just not necessarily “nice,” as in, worthy of the Publish button.

Inside of me, alchemy is blending perfect metaphors. Exacting temperatures work to percolate nothing into something special. For now, “nice” is not yet ready. These things can take some time.

So these words? Just verbiage, I guess. My disclaimer.

That magic’s in the works. I’m simply stirring the pot and watching in wonder. Waiting for the gold.