The corporate trappings of the day melted away with the growing flames and the dawning darkness of night. Neighbors shrugged at the sight of a man sitting alone in front of a fire. As they watched television, he watched the coming of the eschaton, beautiful and terrible, merciful and fierce.
Jackson Courter is a linguist and writer based in Illinois. He is currently exploring the intersection of linguistics and cartography. Learn more at jacksoncourter.wordpress.com.
When sunlight kisses
the queens of flowers,
their petals blossom
in most beautiful colours,
their fragrance dances
to the melodies of winds.
Within these moments
I only miss
one of the loveliest roses
I have ever met.
In loving memory of Rosy.
May your soul rest in peace forever, grandma.
Stella Fernandez wrote this poem for her grandmother’s death anniversary on October 23.
The story of the week for October 25 to 29 is…
Capers by Gary Paul Ballard
If you already believe in ghosts there’s no need to read further.
It’s the hard-nosed cynics I’m hoping to save.
I used to be one, a skeptic who respectfully suppressed laughing in a true believer’s face.
Until I realized nearly all the great literary masters keep whispering from the grave.
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.
The doctor took John’s wife aside. In a comforting voice, he told her John was nearing the end. His cancer had returned and spread to every organ in his body. The wife sobbed on the doctor’s shoulder. She summoned the courage to hold her husband’s hand and kiss him goodbye.
Robert (Bob) Dustman was Oakland County Executive (Michigan) L. Brooks Patterson’s chief spokesman and Director of Media & Communications for seventeen years. Mr. Dustman also enjoyed a distinguished and successful twenty-five year career as a radio and television broadcast journalist in Michigan. After retiring in 2009, Mr. Dustman wrote 3 books that were published and served as a free-lance public relations consultant.
If you’re lucky enough to have a close-knit family, loyal and true friends, to be genuinely happy being you, to love and be loved, to have dreams come true, and have endless amounts of frozen chocolate candy kisses and hot cheesy pizzas, then you, my friend, are blessed beyond compare.
Terri has published her first book, “Three Little Words to Look at Things Differently”. She lives in Bucks County, PA with her “Hubbles” and their “Fat and Fabulous Calico – Gracie Girl”. She’s working on other writing projects so stay tuned!
She’s huddled at a corner table in the dark bar.
A jazz band is playing.
She lights a cigarette and sips her drink.
Designer sunglasses hide a black eye.
Lipstick covers bruised lips.
She’s a striking presence in designer attire,
but wealth and status can’t protect her from angry fists.
Peter Blau works in Minnesota’s Twin Cities in a variety of settings. He believes everyone has a story to tell. His goal is to help people discover their unique voice and style as they tell those stories with their writing. Peter believes that writing is more than just a means to an end; it is the end in itself.
Deciding it was about time he cleaned out the fridge, Dave entered a strange new world. For there among the blue cheese, neglected jar of capers, and sour milk was a tiny civilization. Apologizing profusely, clearly having interrupted some kind of presidential inauguration, he removed himself and closed the door.
Gary Paul Ballard is a writer from North London working in the field of mental health. Although his preference is for flash fiction and he’s drawn to the ridiculous, he has self-published collections of short stories and a novella.
Annie’s arm slid into the sweater sleeve; her mother’s hand emerged from the cuff. Brown-spotted, purple-veined, a gold ring on a bony finger. Did Mom see the same? And her mom, and hers? Generations of hands in wool, cashmere, silk. Annie held her granddaughter’s smooth hand and thought: yours too.
Marilyn McFarlane is a travel writer and the author of Sacred Stories: Wisdom From World Religions. She writes poetry and fiction, enjoys the 50-word format, and occasionally explores memoir. She lives in Oregon, where there is a lot of scope for the imagination.
I am kicking, holding my breath. I can see the light on the surface of the water, I know it’s there. I can reach beautiful oxygen if I try hard enough. But my lungs burn. I keep kicking. With but a few meters left, I release my held breath.
Kick.
Jacob Meadows is a poet, researcher, and author of the upcoming collection of poetry, SHADES. A trained dancer and educator, Jacob has spent the last four years honing the craft of writing poetry and prose, finding his voice, and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. He has both an MA in Creative Writing and an MA in English from Southern New Hampshire University where he studied postcolonial, feminist, and queer theories as well as autoethnography. Jacob spends his free time reading and dancing, his first two loves.