Tag Archives: human condition

BOB THURBER: I’ll need to do some dying before I’m done

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , ,

I don’t know how the dying do it.
I keep a list of my dying friends.
When one speaks I listen.
When one makes some remark about death, I jot it down.
There are far fewer than one might think.
It’s life they talk about. The blessing of each day.

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.

EMILY MERRELL: Crispy Carcasses

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

All that remains are the shells, hulls, the crispy carcasses that once contained life, scattered along the basement, where floor meets wall. It is here that they sought escape, only to shrivel and perish.

Indifferent to their suffering, she sweeps them away, discontent in the knowledge that they will return.

Emily Merrell is the author of the children’s book Whirl of a Girl. You can visit her online at ehmerrellwrites.com.

KIM MURDOCK: Decluttering by Firelight

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

And this picture on the end table, two people, but in this light they’re two long blue shadows. Cradle it; can you feel its weight? Now rifle your memory. For the texture of skin. Contours you travelled. Odd shapes you assumed. Notice when your palms pulse like a firefly. If.

Kim Murdock writes mostly flash fiction and micro fiction. Her work has appeared in Tiny Molecules, Hungry Ghost Magazine, Blink-Ink, Ellipsis Zine, 100 Word Story, and elsewhere. Follow her on Twitter at @herselfKim.

THOMPSON EMATE: The Journey

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Nightfall. Darkness permeates. The stars embellish the night sky. The moon walks on its podium in a full glow.

We hear the sounds of the night creatures as we take our journey to a homeland.

We seek a serene place. We’ve waded through chaotic waters. We’ve walked through sombre days.

Thompson is a writer of diverse colours although he’s still trying to get his foot in some. His short stories can be seen in voice.club. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

ZOE ZAMMIT: Redundant

Artistic, Submissions, Touching, , ,

When the company went bankrupt, Grandpa bought one of the huge office photocopiers, going cheap. Grandma was furious. It sat in their garage, plugged in, making the occasional sound and waiting for something useful to do. Grandpa made copies of our drawings. Maybe he just wanted to feel useful, too.

Zoe Zammit is a lawyer, amateur historian, dog-lover and writer living in Melbourne, Australia.

MELISSA WILLIAMS: Heat Wave

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

It’s an impossible place to be happy. She shouldn’t have stayed, but the air outside is desolate, the subway packed.

She tilts back the glass of gin-and-tonic he poured her, rolls an ice cube around her tongue, then bites down on it, the crunch crushing the sound of his voice.

Melissa Williams is a writer and autopathography researcher who seeks enlightenment from within large cups of dark coffee and the odd G&T. You can find her here: melissajowilliams.wordpress.com

MK BEAN: Shaded Dreams

Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, , , , , ,

Some dreams wither under direct gaze.
To nurture them, you must avert your focus;
Set your sights to pastures beyond.

One day, you will greet your blossomed dreams
As you pad gently by at serendipitous crossings–
Appreciated, but destinations no longer.
Removed from the spotlight, they thrive in cool relief.

M. K. Beam is a software developer and roller-derby skater who loves rodents.

CASEY LAINE: Letting Go

Artistic, Submissions, ,

I can no longer feel your hand in mine.

The spirit releases its clasp on the body, like a dandelion seed from its stem, and away I float.

On the tumult of the air, like a fragrance, intangible, I embrace you. You breathe me in.

It’s like we never parted.

Casey Laine comes from a long line of talkative women. Despite that, she’s an introvert who enjoys spending time alone, reading, writing, walking in the park. In her spare time, she chases butterflies with her camera.

ARYAN ILKHANI: The Paradox of Life

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

I often feel ethereal, watching the skyline’s twinkling urban lights. Who am I in the grand calculus of the universe, infinitesimal to supernovas yet elephantine to the bacteria which calls me home? I hold infinite significance within infinite insignificance, a trip through a circle. Who am I? I am us.

Aryan is a Year 12 student in Sydney, Australia with a love for literature and existential philosophy.

WILL TSCHIRHART: Dreams in a College Town

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , ,

The night manager of a round-the-clock diner promises free coffee to all graduate students. In return, they let him borrow some of their resilience. Someday, he always says, he’ll take some business classes, then open a place of his own. He keeps the coffee coming and never misses a shift.

Will Tschirhart is a grad student from Michigan who has worked with some very motivated people. He wrote this story for them.