by Diane Walters “What gives you your resilience, Diane?” my friend from Minnesota asks me quite frequently. I never know what answer he is searching for. I never know what will scratch that itch he has. “What do you mean, Gary?” “You have not had an easy life, yet you…
by Megan Vered I knew that Mom would not linger. My impression is that people die the way they live, and Mom was efficient. I called my siblings and all the grandchildren that lived nearby. “If you want to say good-bye, go. Now.” I called James and told her I could…
by J.L. Amos Disposable Life That lipstick smeared Dixie cup you drank from once. Those roses – snipped at the bud and pinned to your lapel. The paper veil, merely napkins in the wind, animated by the door slam of your departure. Cellophane kisses, smothered by their very nature, simply…
by Haley Kral Katie waved to her boyfriend, Jake, trying to signal him to get his car out from in view of the house. He had the headlights turned off, but there was still a chance of her parents hearing the engine or looking out to see the late model…
by Christy Bailes With an ear tag, a chest hole, and six knives in my throat, eyes balloon in love-hate rain, falling so violently I can’t see the C-5 fly past as slow as her last smile, although I hear the plane, drumming a military farewell with such force her…
by Nina Welding CHAPTER ONE At Esmee’s apartment, September 2012 Gerde rang the buzzer. Nothing. Once more. Still no answer. Esmee was never late for work. She always opened the bake shop and was usually standing behind the counter sipping her coffee when Gerde arrived. For years she had joked…
by Maile M. Walker You never forget your first love. I’m sure this simple sentence has conjured up memories for you. Images of boyfriends or girlfriends past who made your heart race in unexpected ways. My first love is a bit different. The mistress of my heart isn’t flesh and…
by Richard Bentley We were arguing about something, but who can remember. She kept wiggling her finger under my chin. “Listen, sweetheart,” she said, “I can get away from you anytime I want. You better get that straight. I can leave anytime. I can go back to work. We’re only…
by Aaron Powell The warm summer air is heavy with the sweet smell of suntan lotion. I breathe in, studying her oily body—the way her tanned flesh glimmers in the sunlight—as I gently slip into the swimming pool. I slowly open my eyes. The chlorine burns and blurs my vision,…
by Ann Marie Crockett You wouldn’t think that a bad hair day could go so cataclysmically wrong. Is it possible that a 9-year old can be the fodder, the ignition switch for a middle-aged woman to completely lose her mind? Fifteen minutes in front of the mirror, 5 minutes past…