February 2012
7 posts
3 tags
Rewind
“I’m really bad at promises, so I think I should say no.”
“Are you serious? We’ve been dating for 10 years.”
“I know and I love you, but I don’t want to…get married. We can still be together forever but without all of the extra…everything.”
“What’s wrong with the everything?”
“Nothing, I guess. I...
4 tags
Blues
Lauren wore the same pair of jeans everyday. The familiar scent of sweat, dirt and grass reminded her of dad. He was gone now. Forty-five days since his accident at the plant. It was sudden and tragic and sad. It gave her the excuse to do things like wear the same pair of jeans without washing them. No one questioned why she started smoking cigarettes. No one asked her to eat dinner or vegetables...
5 tags
Pepperoni
Susan liked it without cheese but with extra pepperoni. It looked a little like a double homicide, considering her career of crime scene photographer, it seemed appropriate.
3 tags
Letting Go
Simon wasn’t ready to let go. He held the knife in his hand so tightly that a sharp pain started to form somewhere in the background. His hand felt wet and his stomach churned thinking about what he had done to himself. He dropped the knife, reached for the kitchen towel and wrapped his bloodied hand without looking at it. He would faint at the sight of it. Right in front of his mother, her...
4 tags
Time
I wish I had the time. A constant thought that plagued my mind. It got to the point that all I thought about was hours, minutes and seconds. I didn’t even have time for time anymore.
So I packed my bags, put on my sleep mask and took a nap.
Three hundred and sixty-five days later, I woke up, refreshed. I yawned, my back a bit sore and my socks a little worn.
But he was still there,...
3 tags
No Hope
Day 1: It started off as a few red bumps.
Day 2: The next day they were a little bigger, but a little less red.
Day 3: Maybe I should go to the doctor. Nah, no big deal.
Day 4: I called out to work. I just need sleep. Yeah, that’s it.
Day 5: It’s all over. Oh my god. It’s all over. Red and probably dying, I drag myself to the emergency room. My friend, Pamela, drives me. She...
3 tags
Candy
I guess we’re complex like a salted caramel. I just want to chew you up, but three hours later, you’re still there hiding behind my molars.
January 2012
9 posts
4 tags
One Last Dance
I didn’t feel blind, deaf or mute. I just woke up that way. Unaware of the silence, still thinking it was night and that my mom must be somewhere else if she couldn’t answer my screaming. But my eyes never adjusted to the darkness. It was just there. No shapes. No sound.
I tried screaming for help. I couldn’t tell if anything was coming out. My mouth was open. I was using my...
3 tags
Balls
Two skinned knees, one black eye and too many strike outs to count and what did my coach say to me?
“Next time…try.”
3 tags
All the Rage
I’ve become one of them. It’s happened. I’m all rage, muscle and attitude. I hunger for the snap of your neck. The sounds of the ropes breaking. The crack of your back as I bend your body senseless. You’re my toy now! My slave. You can’t hide because you don’t know I’m coming for you. You can’t smell me, because I’m not really here. What was...
3 tags
Misunderstood
“I tend to open my mouth without thinking,” I said, not looking her in the eyes. “I didn’t mean it.”
“It’s too late now for an apology. I’m pretty sure that’s why you’re trying to do here, right?” Kathryn paced in front of the door.
“Don’t leave. Finish your tea, at least. Then go. Never see me again, if you...
3 tags
High School
At 16, I had no life. Not a good one. Not one that involved boys or girls and kissing them. On the lips. Or maybe seeing them naked. The good stuff. My life skipped right over that and gave me shit. My grandma was dying, and because I have no say in anything ever, we moved to be with her. I love grandma and I want to be an understanding person and stuff, but in all honesty, I miss my house. My...
3 tags
Hi, I'm Alive
One day after college graduation, Danny didn’t feel a thing. He was sitting at his mom’s kitchen table with this off-white paper full of frilly script that meant absolutely nothing. He heard footsteps, shoved his diploma under his seat and hid his apathy behind what he hoped was a convincing smile.
“Do you want eggs?”
“Nah, I ate already. Thanks anyways.”
...
2 tags
from the author
I have a confession to make:
I have not read a book in a really long time. I think it’s been a year. I started and stopped so many books in 2011. I did not finish a one. There’s no good reason why I haven’t been reading. I’ve been busy. I’ve been stressed.
But that’s never stopped me before.
When I was in college, I used to gobble up “for...
3 tags
Cindy
Cindy waved, but I pretended not to see her face in the crowd. There she goes again with her goofy grin, waves flailing and I looked right past her. She smiled as I walked without any hint of recognition. I think she thought I was joking. I wasn’t. I said I didn’t want to see her again.
Carl told her I was coming back home for the holidays. I hate the fucking holidays. I hailed a taxi...
5 tags
Say Anything
It’s been ten days and no word. I was mid-sentence when it happened.
“Oh, have you tried…”
And then nothing. My friends thought I was joking around. “My voice,” I mouthed, but everyone kept shaking their hands and cracking up. “No really. It’s gone!”
No one believed me.
My voicemail is filled with messages from friends and my mom. I...
December 2011
6 posts
4 tags
Six
I can’t count to ten.
One. Two. Seven. Nine.
I never learned how, but it didn’t stop me from pursuing a career as an actor. I’m on Sesame Street. Maybe you recognize me? I’m the green monster.
No, wait, or is it the purple?
I’m positive I’m the yellow one.
I think.
6 tags
Sugar Plums
It’s so quiet.
I hear you in the next room.
I don’t knock, but I hang out like a creeper.
I listen to you sleep.
It’s not exciting.
I know what you’re dreaming, because I make dreams come true.
I look in the mirror, then I look around your house and my face is everywhere.
I eat the cookies you left out, lick my lips and go out the front door.
I grab the reins and...
3 tags
Bang Bang
Kat packed a suitcase:
-marshamallows -suspenders -swiss army knife -silk pajamas
She left a typewriter, five empty fountain pens and one notebook. There was writing in the margins and on the front and back covers, inside and out.
No blanks.
On the page.
But in the gun.
Was something else.
5 tags
Time Travel
Tommy wanted to see the world, so his mother bought him a map, but it wasn’t enough. So she bought him a globe, but still, Tommy ached for more. His geography teacher, Mr. Petunia, remarked to his mother at the parent-teacher conference that he was an excellent student, very attentive, A++.
But at every other subject, he failed. Terrible at math, english and his spelling was horrendous.
...
3 tags
Hello
I met you in Bloomingdale’s buying jeans. I fell in love, but we never went out to coffee. There was no first kiss. No late night trips to CVS. No holding hands. No apartment viewings. No first argument. No make up sex. Because I never said hello. Only goodbye.
4 tags
Arms, Shoulders, Knees & Toes
I thought about your arms last night, holding me, and your hands on my back. The smell of your hair under your hat. That hat you’ll never remove. I’ve gotten used to it by now, but your arms. Your go, go arms. So long and lacking of grace. But you’ll always be my inspector.
Of love.
November 2011
6 posts
5 tags
Bye Bye
It started with businesses.
One by one they shut their doors. No more ice cream of the future. No more bacon lollipops. No more patent leather shoes, shiny cars or creamy soaps. All of the nonsense went kaput. What did people need with those things? Back to the basics. Simple is best. Fire. Wheels. Cell phones.
Then people went poof! Wombs stopped producing. Sperms dried up. The world grew heavy...
3 tags
Nobody
“I want to disappear,” BJ said to me, in between sobs. “I…want…to…disappear.”
“No, you don’t. You’re just upset.”
“You…never…listen…to…me.”
It’s not that I didn’t listen. I just didn’t care. BJ could disappear and I wouldn’t give a fuck. I could barely stand her now....
5 tags
What Do I Do With You?
Every single morning he’s there, waiting, watching and following me around the room. I am tripping over him. He’s always in front of my feet, eagerly, meowing for his next meal. He think it’s the end of the world if I don’t feed him right this very second. He purrs at the very sight of his wet food. Then he forgets to breathe as he laps up bite after bite after bite....
5 tags
Bow Wow
Harold’s neighbor was fucking again. The pounding of the walls. The yeah-yeah-yeah and the too loud grunts. It sounded like some porno.
Harold’s neighbor was some posh sort with a fake tan. He always ran into her in the hallway.
“Oh, hello.”
She never returned his hellos. It was always some glare with a nasty snarl.
...
8 tags
?!
The clouds drop question marks on the crowd. The show stops, the guitars are set down and the drum kit explodes with anticipation. The musicians walk off the stage like it’s no big deal, but they’re as confused as everyone else. The green room is blue and there’s no more M&Ms. The van is vandalized and the tour bus nonexistent. They walk to the nearest bus stop. No one...
5 tags
(some)thing
Harry never listened to me. I pulled on his coat, but he shrugged me away. I stood in front of the door, but he just turned around and started to crawl out the window. There was something out there. A thing. A monster. I had seen it five times that day. A blur of brown hair, claws and spines.
“It’s a porcupine. Please let me go.” He stopped climbing out the window and gave me a...
October 2011
11 posts
8 tags
Stars
I’m having an identity crisis. I can’t decide which villain fits my personality. I’m pretty nasty, so I’ve been told by my ex-boyfriends. I’ve been called bitch, bloodsucker and heartbreaker. I was the mummy, Vampira and even a werewolf. I howled at the moon. I changed. I became the animal. I wobbled around on high heels acting like a moron. The monster you invented....
4 tags
Mystery
Today I feel like an animal. All hairy palms, full moons and legs so stubbly I break my Venus. I don’t even bother anymore. Why brush my hair? My mom is always asking me if I did, when I did, so why even try. I always look like a mess. They nicknamed me the animal. So I embrace it. I wear cheetah, leopard and snakeskin. Faux, thankyouverymuch. I don’t eat meat anymore. But sometimes I...
6 tags
Pumpkin
Jack’s smile was crooked, his brow dipped low on his forehead and his nose dripped blood. He was angry, but he felt hollow inside. No guts! That’s what his mom always said as her vines entangled him into a big hug. He didn’t mind. He didn’t know it was an insult at the time. He just wanted a new home. He crossed his stem and five days later he found himself on a porch.
...
4 tags
Magic Balls
People always ask where we met. What was the attraction? I guess I don’t get it. Sometimes there aren’t simple answers to simple questions. Sometimes there aren’t answers at all. I just really wanted to date a wizard, okay!
5 tags
Never Admit Defeat
Dear Lola,
I know that you don’t know that I’m watching you. Don’t be embarrassed, you’re beautiful! I think about you during the day at my desk job. I watch you make supper for one while you watch Jeopardy. I love your happy dance when you get an answer right. I never finished high school, so I’m not as bright as you seem to be, but I’m okay with that. I hope...
6 tags
Dot Dot Dot
Ben stood in the field alone, observing and cold. A bird had pooped in his hair, but there was nothing he could do about it. Stiff jointed and awkward, he wanted to return home, but he found himself frozen. It wasn’t the weather. It was the fact that he just realized he wasn’t alive, but he felt alive. Besides, did he even live in the white house? The red house? The barn?
He...
5 tags
Bucked
I used to think vampires were sexy. Not real. Monsters. But sexy. Mysterious. Enchanting. Then 155 years later.
Fangs aren’t sexy.
They’re just pointy teeth. Thirsting for blood.
What’s sexy about blood?
Because there’s nothing sexy about the stain on my shirt and the dirt underneath my fingernails.
The eternal mess. Always foraging, never forgiving. Day in, Day out....
4 tags
Stalagmites
I live in a cave. It’s not dark, damp or cramped. There’s a little stream that passes through and a bat blowhole. I’m quite knowledgeable in geodes and I totally revived the hardhat as fashion accessory. Even so, no one will visit, despite my extensive collection of Frank Sinatra records, several yachts and my very own kazoo orchestra. I just don’t get it.
Maybe I should...
6 tags
Tiny Little Super
“Hey, Eileen. Check it out! It’s Super Stud.”
“What? Oh my god. You’re gross!”
“Come give him a kiss! He’s a hero!”
“No way! Yuck!”
“What? No kiss?”
“Come on, Rich. Take it off!”
“I can’t. It’s stuck.”
“It’s creeping me out.”
“Well, how do you think I...
5 tags
#2
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Todd was talking, but I wasn’t listening.
“The answer is Jason Voorhees.”
I was twirling my finger around my hair, around & around, until it pulled.
“Are you listening to me?”
I nodded. I wasn’t. He knew it. My other hand in my right pocket. The knife was still there. Todd had no idea. I was sure of...
6 tags
And I Would Never Be the Same
I heard the noises in between the walls. The bubbles and cracks appeared over night. The next morning the water flowed from the sinks, wading in ankle deep water, watching my house sinking from the inside.
But there was no rain.
It was unusually sunny for this time of year. Sun and fluffy white clouds and record breaking temperatures. October first.
I burned despite the ever rushing waves.
I...
September 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Beards!
An eye for an eye. A leg for a leg. Then suddenly you’re a pirate. Squawk!
5 tags
In Exchange
I woke up scratching my face with claws, chasing butterflies and pooping in a box. I didn’t find it odd that I suddenly craved meat and nothing but. I wanted prey. I want to play. I grew tired of naps. Then I grew tired of fighting them. I grew ears. And I licked, licked, licked.
Furball. Cramp.
Coughcoughcoughcough.
Then I sleptandsnoozed.
Then 24 hours later, I was human again.
No...
August 2011
7 posts
4 tags
Vegetarian
It wasn’t the bacon’s fault. He didn’t know till it was too late. The crime scene photos were too gruesome for the newspapers. He plead guilty and vowed never to chat up a pretty vegetarian again.
3 tags
Actions
Deiter wasn’t home to receive the call that would end his life. The doctor was calling with his test results. He was unlocking the door when the fatal ring-ring-ring started and as he stepped into the foyer, it stopped. He silently cursed his bad luck and without looking made his way to the stairs. His three-year-old son had carelessly left a banana peel on the floor, which sent Deiter to...
6 tags
Fruits
No one was there to witness the fight, but we lost a good snail, three pears and four robust watermelon. It was all up to the Tomato Retaliation League to make sure justice would be served!
Author Question
If I made a digital book, would you buy it?
6 tags
Super Sappy Folk Tale
Daisy wasn’t born a horse, donkey or zebra. She was born a unicorn and thus her family abandoned her. Her mother didn’t even shed a tear or wave goodbye. She was three years old and spent the next three days crying on a rock. Surely, her sadness would float her to a better place, but alas, her stomach growled so loudly, she couldn’t ignore it any longer. She would learn to live...
3 tags
Favors
I find myself between her thighs again. Disappointed, fragile and drunk, I shouldn’t be here. I can’t leave before it’s over, but my head is not in the game.
I think about Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder and Maggie Gylenhaal. Pretty faces with pretty bodies, but I don’t know them and they don’t me. It’s not enough to distract from Lucy. She’s gone now.
...
5 tags
Chasing Dreams
Clark stumbles to his feet, but a weight from above pushes him down. “Oh god, please, let me go.”
No answer.
Clark tries to stand up, but again, the weight knocks him back down.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Clark can feel the bruises forming underneath his parka. He’s sweating despite the cold. He doesn’t try again until he hears footsteps.
“I knew...
July 2011
15 posts
3 tags
Whatdoicallyou?
Kaitlyn hates when I call her by her first name. “Don’t call me that,” she says, kicking me under the table. “I hate that name. Call me Phoenix.”
I call her Phoenix.
But two weeks later, it’s Willow, Buffy or even Xander.
I tried calling her generic pet names like baby, sweetie and honey. She seemed to like it at first, but then the bruises came swift and...
4 tags
Real
I can’t think of one reason to be real. I like staying imaginary. I hide under your bed, inside your closet and by the night light. I can’t think of one reason why I wouldn’t want to make you sweat at night. It’s not just nerves. I’m there, not being real. I am a force so big, yet, I don’t exist. You can walk through me. You can yell at me. I take it all in and...