Why does the hummingbird scold? Tiny, ruby-breasted emerald with mighty wings and robust voice: Hurry up, frivolous phoebe! Why do you loiter, languid butterfly? Look at the egret, way up high, practically motionless, gliding on an easy zephyr. And that poet’s muse… a lifetime treasure hunting for the perfect words.
Roberta Kay, poet and teacher, has spent a lifetime treasure-hunting for perfect words.
Smells of dinner float out from the trailer parked behind Safeway. Music and voices sound. On a patch of green grass, a child plays, counting daisies. Inside, her parents count crinkly dollars; hoping there’s enough for paper towels, Cheerio’s, a battery-operated desk fan to get them through summer.
Lisa Marie Lopez has been published in a variety of literary journals and venues including Blink-Ink and The Ocotillo Review. She loves coffee, quiet walks, and animals.
“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?”
“I’m a victim of porch pirates.”
“Which delivery service?”
“None! Why ask me that?”
“We may want to interview the driver.”
“I don’t know who drove the getaway truck for the board bandit.”
“The what?”
“The thief. With sky-high lumber prices, someone stole my hardwood porch.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction has been published in Mystery Weekly and many other places.
In the end, she takes the plant. The room feels so full of ghosts, arguments had, hands on her cheeks. Demanding, who could love you this much? Who?
A one way ticket burns her wallet. Don’t worry, she soothes glossy leaves. There are other shelves for you, in other rooms.
Riley Montag is a former child, and most recently, an adult. Follow them on Twitter.
I loved visiting the gallery, licking every piece clean with my eager eyes, running home to pour inspiration onto canvas, until that terrible day, when I was asked to critique, and I did, pointing and pontificating to an eager audience, lumbering home stuffed full of applause, but starved of passion.
Salman currently resides in Walnut Creek, California. He’s writing and illustrating his first book — a collection of fables. He also publishes a newsletter on creativity and self-awareness called Quick Brown Fox, and mentors students in the online writing course Write of Passage. He’s inspired by whimsical tales like The Little Prince, which deliver profound wisdom in a playful way.
When I was younger
my sister said
“Wear my clothes
and you will grow.”
I put them on
and felt so small.
The burden
of her success
was too heavy
to hold.
Time went by
and within a second
my sister’s clothes
were too small
and I realized
my growth.
This is Lisha Fernandez’s first published poem.
The leaves of my lilac tree
hanging outside my window
are withered, brown, and barren.
But this morning,
tiny dew drops dangle like prisms
beneath a crystal chandelier,
making rainbows through the glass.
Then, slowly, one by one,
they drop, releasing their
hold and leaving the leaves
unadorned once more.
Linda Freedland lives in Albany, New York and has written two novels and is a prolific writer of short stories, flash fiction and the occasional poem. You can find her stories at adirondackcenterforwriting.org.
The story of the week for December 20 to 24 is…
At 84 You Keep Your Glass Half Full by Jennifer L. Freed
After failing to buy limes, she gives up on the recipe,
____Goes walking in the park,
____Does a double-take at seeing a lime in the dirt.
Weeks later, same spot, another double-take:
____A single-serve apple sauce for tonight’s recipe.
____Organic!
Soon, she will learn
____Expectation strips portals of all magic.
Brenda is the owner of The Essay Expert LLC and the best-selling author of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. She spends her days in the world of resumes and LinkedIn profiles and enjoys writing creatively when inspiration hits. See more at theessayexpert.com.
You remember how it was—
the tree your father cut,
your brother and you, tinsel
everywhere. The strands of bulbs
that wouldn’t light. You hold it
close—the laughter, the warmth.
True, your parents argued,
your brother teased.
But in your later years,
you choose the versions
that sustain you.
Jennifer L. Freed writes mostly poems and sometimes writes very short stories.