CINDY CHERRY: Collapse

Artistic, Submissions, ,

Without believing, I let out
Prayers like popcorn
Begging for angels to be real.

After the darkness and the quiet,
small stones of ceiling plaster
continue to fall
Teeth from heaven.

I am covered.
the roof and floor
groan for me.
my prayers are softer now,
each one a surprise.

Cindy Cherry grew up in Northern Mexico and the Southwest. She writes poems and stories in her head, while walking a labyrinth with her two dogs. She also loves her job working with blind infants; teaching them new ways to “see”.

JENNIFER M SMITH: Ninety-one (part 2)

Submissions, Touching, , ,

There was no more honey.

She drove to the store, independently.
Parked and shuffled in.

There, on the bottom shelf.

The weight of gold, too heavy.
The check-out, too far away.

Impossible, she realized.

She turned and left.

Tap-tapping with her cane to the car.
Then home, to bitter tea.

Jennifer M. Smith is the author of the award-winning book Green Ghost, Blue Ocean. She is a geologist, a chartered accountant, an offshore sailor and a triathlete. Obviously, she can’t sit still. More information and links to other published work can be found on her website at jennifermsmith.com.

JKFORWARD: Flirting at the Dog Park

Amusing, Submissions, Touching, , ,

They stand at the dog park, exchanging dating website data about their dogs but not eye contact.

“Mine is eight, Heinz57.”

“Two, some sheepdog, possibly lab.”

Their bodies shift imperceptibly towards each other; relieved glances are exchanged.

Neither says “rescue,” with its long braggers-rights backstory. Volumes spoken with this omission.

JKForward loves flash fiction’s similarity to poetry and enjoys both reading and writing it. She is currently also editing her mother’s lifetime of letters, each a brief glimpse into the past, and weaving them into a portrait memoir.

KATE FAIGEN: All Gone

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

It took three scissor chomps to sever the top of her long, thick ponytail. In her hand, the remains felt like a limb she never thought she’d be without. But her stepmom would be horrified to see her pretty hair gone. She couldn’t wait to show Judith what she’d done.

Kate Faigen’s stories have appeared in Maudlin House, The Daily Drunk, and Reckon Review, among others. She would love another Twitter follower: @k8faigen.

ERIC PERSAUD: Serenity

Submissions, Touching, ,

The car rumbles as I tap my fingertips against the wheel.

My heart knocks and I wonder if it will create a mound on my chest while I wait.

I watch the front door open as she smiles and waves.

Suddenly, my heart steadies.

I wave back to my Serenity.

Eric Persaud wrote this while waiting in his car.

LINDA JENKINSON: An Unseen Challenge

Adventure, Submissions, ,

After the funeral she re-visited the centuries-old home she’d inherited. A buzz of frenetic energy came from upstairs. Years of deceased ancestors had assembled to welcome her grandfather. But when she reached the landing it stopped cold.

Boldly she moved toward her childhood room to stake her claim.

Linda Jenkinson writes flash fiction, fast poetry and 50 word stories but is decidedly slowing down.

DL SHIREY: The Witch

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

By day her grave is littered with pentagrams and stumpy, gutted candles. On moonless nights, gothed-out teenagers chant her name at the stroke of twelve. They tell drunken stories of surviving her spells.

Before she died, the old woman’s only sins were berating trespassers and living with too many cats.

D.L. Shirey lives in Portland, Oregon, writing fiction, by and large, unless it’s small. His stories of 100 words or less have been published by 50-word Stories, The Drabble and blink-ink. Short of listing them all, visit dlshirey.com and @dlshirey on Twitter.

PETER BLAU: Closing Time

Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, , , , ,

Forty years at the plant
Loyal, hard working
Just like his father

Shop foreman, pro-union
Supported his family
Took pride in his work

Two months before retirement
The plant closed, company moved
Laid off

Forty years at the plant
Unlike his father
No pension, no employment

Betrayed, angry, disillusioned,
Lost

Peter Blau works with students of all ages. He believes everyone has a story to tell and the goal in his teaching is to help his students discover their unique voice and style as they tell those stories with their writing. To him, writing is more than just a means to an end, but it is the end in itself.

BOB THURBER: The Last Performance

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

I sang. I danced. I explained the upside. I listed reasons for hope.

You’re young, I said. You’re beautiful. Smart. Talented.

I held her hand and convinced her she could turn her life around. She brightened up, but only for a moment.

No. No divorce. I’m not signing, she said.

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.