The light from the fire reflected back at me from the pond. The water was as still as the dead and the light danced across the surface. I knew the fire was a risk, every crackle and pop of the wood sounded like thunder in the silence of the woods. And the light it breathed into the darkness would draw the attention of anyone near enough to see it. Or anything. But it had been weeks since I had see...

I sit in the quiet,

Alone with my thoughts.

There’s no distraction,

Nowhere to hide.

I’m stripped bare to the nakedness of self reflection.

This was the gift of a stranger who came in the night

And left behind a hole where once I hid

But only when it was full.

My thoughts wander

As I wonder

What it is to breathe

What it is to be me...

Magic is what happens when the sun rises

But only if you rise with it.

To the challenge of a new day

A new dawn

A new hour to define your new life.

Magic is what happens when the sun rises

And baptizes the world in light.

Forget the woes of yesterday

Forget this world of strife

Magic is what happens when the sun rises

Just know you can not stop it.

Tomorrow is more sure than yesterday

But ju...

He first came through my line with a too big smile and honestly I thought nothing of him. Just another customer.

He kept coming though. And eventually I knew his face. His smile was the first thing to catch my eye. He smiled too much and he told bad jokes. But he was cute, so it worked.

He started coming by more often, but it seemed like he rarely bought food. Every few days and always with th...

The taxi thrummed over head as Malik waited on the corner. The orange and blue glow of the lights contrasted with the shining chrome under his eyelids.

With a puff he blew his bangs from his eyes and turned up the collar of his jacket, huddling against the biting wind. The crowds walked past him and he stayed rooted in his spot, searching the eyes of the passersby for any hint of familiarity.

...

The empty space on the mantle was obscene. The photographs lovingly placed there amongst handmade Christmas ornaments, filled every inch of space except for the center, where an urn had rested only the night before.

Chuck stood there with his beer in his hand and could only stare. He wasn’t the type to stir the pot, especially with family. Navigating family issues was preferable to the mine fiel...