EDDIE D MOORE: You Have Arrived

Artistic, Submissions, ,

When the GPS said that I had arrived at my destination, I found myself parked in front of an abandoned country church on a dead end, gravel road. Most of the paint had long peeled away, and the graveyard beside it was full.

I wondered who buried the last member.

Eddie D. Moore travels hundreds of hours a year, and he fills that time by listening to audiobooks. When he isn’t playing with his grandchildren, he writes his own stories. You can find a list of his publications on his blog, eddiedmoore.wordpress.com, or by visiting his Amazon Author Page. While you’re there, be sure to pick up a copy of his mini-anthology Misfits & Oddities.

LL WOHLWEND: Two-Note Song

Submissions, Touching, , ,

Momma hasn’t come home.

I ask Grandma, When? She says, Any day now.

But Momma sent a text I wasn’t supposed to see. Need break. It’s all too much.

The sun cuts the leaves into drops of time. I spin in the driveway, singing:

Any day any day any day.

L.L. Wohlwend’s work has appeared in Haibun Today, Contemporary Haibun Online, Modern Haiku, and other places.

MARY HICKEY: As Night Slowly Falls

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, ,

“Why do you bleat like a goat?” I ask. “Do those sounds comfort you?”

“Yes, I believe they do,” he responds.

A month later, once again, “Why?”

“They help me to focus and think.”

Three more months, and he barely understands the question.

“They remind me that I’m still alive.”

Mary Hickey is an internationally known backgammon champion, teacher, coach and author. Her literary fiction has appeared in The Griffin, Happy, Kalliope, and other publications. She takes a break from writing if sushi, mattar paneer, or really good coffee are on offer.

BRIAN MAYCOCK: Staying Put

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

The roofs appear first, small grey peaks breaking through the water as the drought slowly reveals the village last seen seventy years ago.

After the forced clearance of the villagers, the valley was flooded, the reservoir built.

We descend, excited explorers discovering cobbled roads, abandoned cottages. A shotgun. Bleached bones.

Brian Maycock lives in Scotland. His short stories have most recently been published in The Drabble and 365 tomorrows.

LISA MARIE LOPEZ: Every Tuesday

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, Touching, , , ,

Tangy salsa over fried eggs. Buttered toast, sliced in half and glazed with apricot jam. She hasn’t opened a menu in over ten years. Everybody at the corner diner on Hamilton Street knows to call her Suz, and never to ask why certain songs from the jukebox make her cry.

Lisa Marie Lopez has had stories recently published in Blink-Ink and The Ocotillo Review. She loves baseball, turtles, and writing in cozy little cafes. Visit her on Facebook at Author Lisa Marie Lopez.

JAMES MENGES: The New Dear Leader

Amusing, Puns and Wordplay, Submissions, , , ,

A top propagandist and Politburo member in the party, the younger sister now controls the Guidance and Organization Department, aka G.O.D., the body administering ideological indoctrination, party organization and political appointments.

Through edicts issued by G.O.D., a woman has unprecedented control of the future.

At last, there’s hope for mankind.

James Menges is a writer and photographer. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

JOE GIORDANO: Cornelia Quinta

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

While I’m stooped and wrinkled, my body savaged by plague and illnesses, reduced to just a brittle twig, know that once I dominated Roman society. Senators were drawn to me like hummingbirds to nectar, my grace and beauty halted conversations, and when I regain strength, my lash will fly again.

Joe Giordano was born in Brooklyn. He and his wife Jane now live in Texas. Joe’s stories have appeared in more than 100 magazines including The Saturday Evening Post, and Shenandoah. His novels, Birds of Passage, An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story (2015), and Appointment with ISIL, an Anthony Provati Thriller (2017) were published by Harvard Square Editions. Rogue Phoenix Press published Drone Strike (2019) and his short story collection, Stories and Places I Remember (2020). Joe was among 100 Italian American authors honored by Barnes & Noble to march in Manhattan’s 2017 Columbus Day Parade. Read the first chapter of Joe’s novels and sign up for his blog at joe-giordano.com.

PAUL LAMAR: Doppelganger: for Joe (1955-1995)

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

Seen on the running trail: tall, beefy (beloved you, at the end, emaciated). Black hair under cap (you, at the end, bald). Muscular legs (you, at the end, wheelchair-bound). Blue eyes (you, at the end, blind). Trim beard (you, at the end, blotches). Gentle breathing (you, at the end, gasping).

Over 45 years, Paul Lamar’s poems and stories have appeared in The Southern Review, Prairie Schooner, Steam Ticket, Bryant Literary Review, etc.

ESZTER MOLNAR: Cold Turkey in November

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

It hasn’t stopped raining for four long days.

Carl’s eyes are red-rimmed, his face a bloated mess.

“I can’t do this much longer,” he cries.

“You’re doing great,” I assure him but right now—and I’m not ashamed to admit this—I hate him. We’ve been here before. Seven times.

Eszter Molnar is a former teacher who lives by the windswept British seaside with her partner and two children. She has been published in one of the UK’s biggest subscription magazines for children. By day she cleans up after preschoolers. By night she writes picture books and middle grade fiction.