Her tapping toes sent a creak through the rocking chair. It was an heirloom, a treasure held together by polish and the will of those who rested upon its weathered wood.

She closed her eyes and thought about the first time she’d sat there. It seemed so big then. Awkward, bulky, she felt like a jockey trying to saddle a brontosaurus. Still, she managed the mount and marveled at how far her toes were from the floor. Climbing down usually ended with a thud and bruised bottom, but she didn’t mind the little pains. Never did.

Melting ice shifted in her glass. Summer was a wonderful time for sitting. Spring was better; not as hot, but summer was fine too. A breeze lifted her to April then fell away. The reality of July crept back slowly, sweating the glass.

She wiped her brow and refolded her handkerchief. She pulled a fan from her apron and waved it as fast as arthritic hands could. She looked to the heavens, sighed, and turned back to her toes. They tapped rhythmically, sending a sway through her lace-lined ankle socks. They were pink with white ruffles. How pretty she was when she was ten.

In her mind she was dancing, the school-play, the recital. They were just memories now, but as vivid as yesterday’s rain. She could still feel the rose petals soft against her cheek. They were cool and tender. Her father missed work on occasion to watch her dance and she loved him for it.

Teenage boys ran through her mind, her yard, her door. She heard a knock and smiled at the memory of bad boys pretending to be good in an attempt to impress her father. They never fooled him, but a few managed to steal a kiss or two on the porch.

One got further of course, stealing her heart, her hand, and her innocence on the night of the big dance. Sure it was in the back of his father’s Ford, but he brought flowers, kissed her hand, and opened doors even after the deed was done. He called too, just like he said he would. She smiled at the thought of playful nights on the porch, necking, dreaming, planning out a lifetime. He proposed as she rocked away in that chair, sliding his grandmother’s ring onto her finger.

Children came, two boys and a girl. They’re grown now with families and memories and children all their own. They visit often, bringing flowers and drawings and hearts full of joy. She treasured the hugs her grandchildren gave. She’d watch them play in the yard as their worried parents went on about some poor old bird that lost her marbles. There’s talk now of doctors, medicine, and a home that isn’t quite hers – a sad thing to be cast aside.

Her tapping tried to drown out the thought of a girl past her prime. Soon she was dancing again, but only for a moment….

Happy Friday, Prosers! Let’s start the weekend off on the “write” foot, shall we?

This week’s featured Proser, @AyeMich, is an insanely busy, multi-talented artist. On any given day, when she’s not on Prose, you’ll find her live tweeting the latest event in pop culture or sharing details about a recent travel adventure to Los Angeles.

We were fortunate enough to track her down for an interview, which you'll find below...

P: Where are you from, and what kind of work do you do outside of writing?

AM: I was born in Walnut Creek, California, but I live in a small town called Pittsburg, Ca. I work for a non-profit organization that deals with insurances of all kinds.

P: What is your relationship with writing and how has it evolved?

AM: My relationship with writing is a complicated one, I think. I love it to death, but it also infuriates me at times. And by that, I mean the entire process. Sometimes, I have ideas that I can't pen down for the life of me. It will not translate.

I started writing when I was really young, so I'm confident in saying that my writing has evolved greatly. I've learned structure, which I think is one of the most important parts of being a writer. Dialogue used to be difficult for me, but the older I get, the easier I find it to be and I think it's because I have a lot more life experience now.

P: Briefly discuss the value that reading adds to both your personal and professional life.

AM: I've always been a reader. I think it is extremely important for writers to read other works. Personally, not only does it give me reprieve from my own work, but it also allows my mind to shut off for a while. As a writer, that can be pretty difficult.

As for professionally, it creates ideas. Not only that, but you learn from reading other people's work. I believe it is highly important for a writer to be a reader as well. It goes hand in hand, really.

P: How would you describe your current literary ventures and what can we look forward to in future posts?

AM: In all honesty, I'm all over the place right now. It's tedious. The entire writing process for any project is tedious and time consuming. I'm just now finishing my first novel and I've already begun both the sequel and another novel altogether.

In the future, I think I'd like to stick more to screenwriting. I'll blog here and there, but for the most part, I'm working on a few things that are going to take time and commitment and they're all pretty much coming back to back.

P: What called you to Prose.? What keeps you coming back? Discuss.

AM: I found Prose through Twitter, I believe and the one thing that brought me here was the idea of being able to write poetry. It's been so long since I've been able to, you know? So, that's what brings me back is the challenges. I love them. There are so many of them and I often find myself opening the app and staying on it for an hour or two at a time. There's also the people. It's so easy to meet/talk to new people and other members. It's sometimes hard to get to know others on sites like this, but in Prose everyone is so inviting and invested. It's great.

Following up on what I'm doing now: I just recently finished filming the trailer for a new web series that I'm working on. My writing/creating partner and I have done so much work since October of 2014 to get this off the ground and we've finally got an amazing cast of people who I can't wait to work with further.

A little background about the web series itself and the process:

My writing partner, Adrienne, approached me with an idea back in early October about a possible web series and I was on board from the beginning. We spent many nights on the phone and over Skype discussing characters and their personalities, plot points, etc. It took a lot of brainstorming for this project to come together and I know that we're both so very proud of what it's become and where it's going.

P: What’s it like to collaborate with another writer?

AM: I'd never actually collaborated on anything before. Not at this caliber anyway. So, it was really interesting to see how easy it came to the both of us. We're almost always on the same page and when we aren't, we simply talk it out until we come to an agreement. It's been fun and exciting and sometimes stressful, but not to the point where it becomes a problem. We're really good at compromising, surprisingly. And it's always good to have someone to bounce ideas off of. I think that's the best part because, as a writer, you have so many ideas at once and if you have someone on the other end acting as a sort of sounding board, it becomes easier to decipher those ideas. Not only that, but having someone else to bring forth ideas only creates more and better ideas in the long run. It's definitely something I'm glad to be a part of.

P: Have you encountered any surprises with this project?

AM: There have been a few. Not only with writing, but with filming, too. In writing, there have been changes here and there that, when writing you thought were amazing, but then you edit and you're like, "why, exactly, did we do this?"

There's also the growth of a character before your very eyes that you weren't expecting. I know that we have one character who was initially supposed to be this sweet and laid back character and she turned into this sassy, no-nonsense kind of woman and it was honestly the best thing for the character, but it happen all on its own. Characters have a way of taking on a life of their own.

If you'd like to find @AyeMich on the web, follow her @amhillwrites and @beyourbreeze on Twitter, as well as on Facebook at facebook.com/ashlyemichelle.

Ashlye’s writing partner, Adrienne, can be found at @AdrienneMarie90 on Twitter and Instagram. You may also follow their new web series @COLGseries on Twitter.

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This #FridayFeature blog series is designed to help you get to know your fellow community members better. Would you like to nominate someone for interview? Have a question you’re dying to ask of someone on the platform? Send us a private message here or email info@theprose.com anytime.

Where did you go and why have you left me? No stories to tell, lately. Either way, stories never result in anything. No climax, no dialogue. Just random facts of happenings. Everything has already happened and now is just a reflection of what has already been. But, let's be serious, that's more true to life than being in the moment...

How often do you have a conversation and an experience? Now, how often do you spend reliving what has already happened? Retelling the story to friends, thinking about what has already happened as your stuck in traffic or sitting on the toilet. Life is not about the moment, like most tales would have you believe, it is about reliving the moment through story. A story told to self or others. Now reread your favorite tale as a retelling of the story. Does it change your perspective or am I just an old lady rambling?