Tag Archives: absence

RA BURLINGHAM: First Date

Submissions, Touching, , , , ,

First dates are tough. He hated it took so long, but war has its own rules. Her eyes were so blue. Her hair like a spider’s web, but golden like hay. Face time was so distant. Finally, holding her tight. She felt so right. This would be forever. “Hello, daughter.”

R.A. Burlingham has been writing everything from advertising copy to screenplays for over 40 years.  He is a filmmaker, digital media and social studies teacher and editor of the book, Worlds Beyond My Window: The Life and Works of Gertrude McCarty Smith.

JAMES WHITMAN: Pancakes

Artistic, Submissions, Touching, , ,

She woke to the aroma of pancakes.

Jack made pancakes every Sunday. His with blueberries and Greek yogurt; hers with bacon and maple syrup. She smiled.

When the bedroom door creaked open, it wasn’t him. It was their son, Daniel.

But while they chewed their pancakes, Jack was with them.

James Whitman is a writer, podcaster, and nerdy dad. He makes excellent pancakes.

SHOSHAUNA SHY: Ex-Husband as House-Sitter

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

As he lined up each
of The New York Times
upon her dining table
that had arrived each day
while she was bicycling Yars Trail

a swell of happiness rose up
for he found he truly loved her
far better than he managed to
all those years spent yoked together

Shoshauna Shy divides her time between flash fiction and poetry, and often merges the two. See more at PoetryJumpsOfftheShelf.com.

LAURA BESLEY: Her Glorious Face

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, Touching, , ,

Every morning, on the 8:04, I look for her face. Sometimes I see individual stars, but never the entire constellation.

This is her train.

The train that took her face and scattered her stars into the darkness around it.

All I want is to see her face one more time.

Laura Besley writes short fiction in the precious moments that her children are asleep. Her fiction has appeared online, in print and in various anthologies. She tweets at @laurabesley.