I arrive at the end
Of a rocky path
Where a beacon indicates
A vast unknown
Beneath a misty guile
But a light of no small promise
Beckons from a distance
My faith tells me
Is surmountable
Perhaps it will be a smooth sail
On a quiet sea
Or a road no less arduous
Than the sharp-stoned path
Which bloodied my feet
Since many miles ago
No matter
The destination seems bright
And beautiful enough
While I have covered greater distances
With less hope
And no small despair
Wild Pacific Trail
Ucluelet
Vancouver Island
British Columbia, Canada
Pic and a Word Challenge
Last time we wondered about whether to take on new Beginnings?. This week, let’s get some purchase on Rocky ground. Or seek something else to inspire you in this long exposure photograph of The Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, in Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada.
The Pic and a Word Challenge is (usually) a weekly creativity prompt offered (also, usually) Mondays.
Each challenge I provide a photograph of mine along with a single word. The challenge? Use the pic and/or word as points of inspiration to create something — a photograph, a painting, prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, longread or just a few words. You are welcome to use these two elements (photograph and word) literally, thematically or metaphorically. If you create both images and words, all the better.
To participate:
- Use any title you like
- Your response can be words and/or images
- You may use my image to illustrate your post, or any images you have created
- Mention that you are responding to the Pic and a Word Challenge
- Add a link to this post in your response
To help us find your response — whether on WordPress, Instagram, Flicker, Tumblr, etc. — you can also:
- Add a comment on this post to announce your response
- Apply the tag/hashtag “Pic and a Word Challenge” or “#picandawordchallenge” to your post
Each week, I’ll list the previous week’s responses at the end of the new challenge. I may also share some on my social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.
The previous challenge was: Beginnings?

The word for last week’s Pic and a Word Challenge #291 was Beginnings?, along with this photograph of sunrise over Mount Baker from the Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo ferry on the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia, Canada.
- Beginnings, by Defying Atrophy
- Begging to begin, by An Embarrassment of Riches
- Beginnings, by WoollyMuses
- does this vast ocean in my soul lead to new beginnings?, by For Much Deliberation
View all the Pic and a Word Challenges, including the current challenge, on the Pic and a Word Challenge tag page.
Happy Creating!