wonder whether they get bored

with all that sky blue perfection

and globs of serene breezes

wonder if that’s why they fall

to hug the curves of traffic

caress the land’s prickly mounds

with billowy embraces

when it rains while the sun shines

what if it’s just the clouds missing being fog

I wonder...

Dear Pollyanna, it’s ok love followed by her dad’s familiar scrawl.

Wanting to understand, Mary turned the notepad sheet in her hands. Moll was searching for food in her dad’s fridge while Chet checked upstairs. The old notepad was her late mother’s, a photo of the twins as toddlers and alphabet blocks bordered the lined page. Again, Mary checked her online calendar.

“Nothing up here Mom,” Ch...

Never liked clay

Too messy

Slip sloppy stuff

When I was young

I was a

Magpie for Bright colors

I was enamored by

enameled copper tiles

Mysteries of sand firing into

Acid yellow greens

strawberry red on turquoise

I’d look up from my precise glaze

I’d look over the kiln at

The dun-dusted sculptors

Working on wheels

Clay writhing whirling

I’d be shake my head

Mud between their fingers

I’m no l...

Wheels squeaked. A soft murmur of conversations weaved in and out of the quiet stacks. In a corner someone coughed. Lifting up The Poisoner’s Handbook, Annabell paused.

“All dead. I need all of them dead. I can’t face one more summer with them infesting everything,” an aggravated whisper said from behind her.

The librarian directed the patron to the the gardening section focusing on organic pe...

“Mr. and Mrs. Carter, thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to meet with us virtually today,” Rhoda said.

“It’s Dr. Carter and I am between patients. What is the matter with Adam?” Dr. Carter said.

“You said this was urgent. What do you say my boy did? Because you’re wrong. He’s a good boy,” Mr. Carter said.

“Calm down Penn. The school knows, he’s a good boy,” Dr. Carter sa...

Burnt hair and Froot Loops, Xavier knew he was in the Bright Lands before he opened his eyes. This time he hoped he had legs. Three deep centering breaths later, Xavier flexed. Flames of pains feathered across his left side. He surrendered to the suffering.

I should’ve been a plumber, Xavier mused. Whilst waiting for his ribs to knit, he dreamt of happily slaving on an ore refinery ship. Somethi...

From walking on eggshells

To tiptoeing into minefields

What did I do now

Pink mist

Cops on the phone

Nothing good happens after midnight

What did you do

Nothing good

All waiting rooms are the same

Hard chair choices

What can be done

Nothing...

A truck door slammed. May ran to the front door and into her best friend’s arms. They hugged in the dark driveway. Imani patted May’s back until her shaking quieted.

“I’m sorry. I just needed bleach,” May said. “I- I didn’t know what to do. Everything is still in moving boxes. There are no stores out here. There’s nothing around here.”

“Babe, I got you. I’m down to help with whatever. I bought ...

Legs crossed, Mrs. Haight-Williams brushed a fleck of dirt from her pencil skirt. She returned her hands to her knees, curling her fingers slightly to hide that there was a chip in her manicure. The bench was uncomfortable, not as bad as the benches in the juvenile court waiting area but close. Mrs. Haight-Williams shifted and the school secretary gave her a sympathetic smile. Pretending to study ...

It started with whining. What fresh hell is this, Bruno thought, turning to the cool side of his pillow. Dead to the world, Moxie was asleep under her CPAP mask. The house was dark and quiet except for the sound of end-of-summer crickets coming through the cracked window. Bruno liked his sleep. He punched his pillow and settled down. He heard it again.

A soft whimper followed by a volley of yippy...