You helped me shake poppy seeds out of their brittle pods. You rode the pumpkin. You kept your arms outstretched long after the hula hoop settled to the ground. You looked up at the stars, in your ultrasound, and saw all of the things in the universe that needed rearranging.
JK Miller is a poet and storyteller living on the edge of cornfields.
When I wiped the steam from the mirror one morning, he was gone. It only took six months for him to became a celebrity, even though his soul in different measures adds up to my own. All along he was the ship and I was nothing more than his anchor.
Kip Knott’s third book of poetry, The Other Side of Who I Am, is now available from Kelsay Books. More of his work may be accessed at www.kipknott.com.
The nighthawks down bad coffee and talk about all the chances they never took. Catherine hears without listening, counting out her tips in nickels and dimes, aching to be someplace else, where love is gentler, and the past no longer lives in the very marrow of your bones.
Alan currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, but originally hails from Leeds, England. To pay the rent, Alan writes emails all day long for a large global corporation, but for fun he prefers to create short stories and poetry and recently completed a full length mystery novel. When not writing, Alan spends his time constantly learning from his two young daughters, guzzling craft beers with his partner Gina, and following Leeds United’s latest mishaps. Learn more about Alan’s work at alanfalkingham.com.
The child’s hopes are dashed as the balloon rises higher and further out of reach.
The question remains: is this what the balloon is seeking?
At the higher altitude, the rarer air and the heating sun cause the balloon to expand until it bursts.
Be careful what you wish for.
Ed N. White has recent stories accepted by The Scarlet Leaf Review and Wordgatherings (Dec. issue).
“When I was little, I dreamed of being a mermaid,” Emily said, “with shiny scales and silky, long, blonde hair. Such a silly fantasy.”
She smiled, revealing fangs, then she lurched away with a flick of her tail, passing beneath the “Beware: Bunyips” sign and slithering back into the billabong.
G.B. Burgess resides in bunyip-infested swampland where she runs a drop bear sanctuary with her pet Thylacine.
Time dripped away for Carol. A leaking tap. A drain. So much not done; and she turning forty.
No drink today.
Rain plopped from branches outside her window. Beautiful. Free-flow. Timeless. A wistful tear.
She dropped her bucket list, penned in outrageous swirls, out the window to soak in simplicity.
All Price has been published in Crannog Magazine and Foxglove Journal.
“You can be whatever you want to be.” my father said.
“Then I want to be a writer, Dad,” I told him.
“You can’t.”
“But you told me I can be whatever I want to be.”
“Sorry. What I meant was you can be whatever doctor you want to be.”
Mary Kaye Valdez has been fond of written words since the second she found out she couldn’t get along with spoken ones. She also loves storytelling, but frankly, she’s just a liar who wants an excuse. Her work has previously been published in Down in the Dirt.
“Cappucino, love. Quick.”
He yanks the cup from my hand, throws change in my direction, and dives off, ticket in mouth. And the next suited man goes. And the next. I watch from under my cap.
The barriers slide open and each one glides off. The counter pens me in.
Matthew Keeley is a teacher and writer from Central Scotland. He is currently seeking representation for his first science fiction novel, ‘Turning the Hourglass’.