Grandma had once told me about her childhood home.

It was a cozy, ranch-style house in what used to be the Midwest. She described having a huge garden planted below her bedroom window, and that she would watch her tomatoes and carrots everynight like clockwork, anxiously waiting for them to grow.

She would have to drive with her father in something called a “Ford” down to a nursey 30 whole minu...

It wasn’t the name that sent alarm bells ringing in his head, nor was it the dead eyes staring back at him on the televised news feed. It was the word “Frannie” neatly written in black ink across the top of the criminal’s left collarbone that did it.

Frannie.

He remembers the embers floating down past his helmet. The scorching heat that made sweat pour down his back and ash cling to his suit. T...

Everyday I scratch my fingers nonstop.

My cuticles, torn to shreds, crack and bleed.

I tug and tear and rip away the skin.

It stings, each and every time it stings.

Everyday I pick my sensitive skin.

I trace over grooves and bumps feather light,

Then dig deep into the blemishes there.

It aches and it burns and I know its wrong,

I must force myself to keep breathing deep.

Ignore the constant itch...

My eyes close tightly to block out the moon.

In the morning, I will wake.

Not on time, no,

As the last bell chimes (as usual).

In a rush (as usual),

Underdressed (as usual),

Heart beating out of my chest (as usual).

I will work the day away.

I will speak and sell and count,

Taking money (always taking money).

I wish to start my book,

It’s been on my list forever,

Tomorrow will be the day.

But h...

There was a relief in feeling the storm’s approach.

Air thick with heat,

Sparks laying dormant in the sky.

(Not for much longer)

The grass seems cooler,

Blades thicker, more resilient.

The universe is on edge,

Anticipating the onslaught mother is preparing for us.

The animals, hold their breathe.

The trees, hold their breathe.

The humans, hold their breathe.

A crack in the sky,

A droplet spl...

The rain stopped first.

A dry spell they said.

For days and days? We said.

It’s no matter, this has happened before.

The fish started dying.

Sand beds creeping further away from us.

Whichever creature could swim the slowest was left behind.

Rotting flesh and pointed bones littered the exclusive beaches and familial lakes we once resided in.

A child can now walk miles before being submerged in t...

The bathroom light is shining a bit too bright.

It’s too blue, it’s too surgical sometimes.

It only sharpens the shadows on my face and irritate the already red skin across my cheeks.

I think of what my mom said this morning.

How i’m lazy, how I don’t listen to others, how I am cold.

It hurts, badly, to have your flaws thrown in your face on a weekly basis. I have tried countless times to ke...

You’ve been going down the path for hours now.

Well, you’re not quite sure it’s been that long, but it sure feels as such. The walls have not changed; a simple beige wallpaper decorates them. It’s been laid out flat, no bumps or tears in it as far as your eye can see. You’ve run your hand against them long enough to prove your eyes right.

It feels like you are in someone’s home, but that’s not p...

Monetization makes the world go round.

Marketing your likes and interests as if they’re a commodity.

Merchandising your words and emotions in order to make ends meet.

Marrying your dead end job to line your pockets just enough,

Maybe you can put some aside,

Maybe you can add to your savings,

Mad idea that,

Money going into your own pocket?

Making a living?

Moronic.

More in the hands of those who ...

I never noticed how out of place the trees are here.

I often take the time when i’m not in our family dome to walk around the neighboring sectors. Quadrant Three has a lot more foliage and flowers than ours does. It helps me relax on busy days where I can’t keep my thoughts from racing. Especially when the sight of the dry arid land outside our windows grates on my last nerve.

On days especially...