Monthly Archives: December 2015

The Old Woman & The Light

OLD WOMAN: I’m sorry that it bothers you, dear, but I always rock when I knit. I’m not sure I could stop now if I tried. [There is a pause. In the silence, a light flickers.] Yes, it does. It’s an old rocking chair. Nearly as old as I am. [She laughs.] It could be me creaking. [The light turns on and off abruptly and repeatedly while glowing brighter.] Now, now. Remember: it’s not your house anymore.

[A door opens and closes, and footsteps approach. The light blinks off as Peter enters.]

PETER: Hi, Grandma!

OLD WOMAN: Peter! What a nice surprise. Come here, and give me a kiss.

PETER: [He leans down and kisses her cheek. Then, he glances around the room.] Were you on the phone? I thought I heard voices.

OLD WOMAN: [Laughing.] Oh, you know how it is with us old folks. Sometimes, we natter away just to prove we’re still here.


A Qualified Toast

A toast to explosions and battle scenes
But only on movie and gaming screens –
Not for life or everyday tasks.
Why is that so much to ask?


50 Word Short Story: Stagnant Hoard

            The sour smell of rancid water seeps through the air like a spy. It slides over the piles and through the papers. Somehow, it maneuvers through the mountains of treasured trash no human could progress. Behind them, miraculously unburied, it finds the human, the origin of the stagnation: equally infected.


A Flesh Wound

Flashing metal strikes the stone
It chips – scratches. A flesh wound only,
The slightest mar: visible to the eye.
Inside the stone, the blow rebounds,
A shockwave. It runs through the stone
Like panic. Pushing and tugging at particles,
Forcing them apart and leaving behind
The tiniest fractures, completely unseen.
Dozens of miniscule wounds hidden
From stranger and friend alike. Unshared,
But dealt with. The parts stand together
To compensate for the fissures. Because
The stone must continue to stand.
It must continue to hold, to bear the load
Though each successive blow shatters more
And more of its interior strength. Stubbornly,
It clings to its shards until the final blow
Forces them apart for the world to see.