On our last day at the beach the sun came out, and the fog, which for that whole week had draped the shore in a veil of cotton, burned away: we discovered there was an ocean here, after all. It
...
[+]
Short Fiction
Short Fiction
The Menagerie Machine
Zebra, Mule, and I stood abreast, as always, and studied the newcomer. Sea Horse reared up from his pale green tentacle of a tail. His upper half resembled the cavalry horses behind us, complete
...
[+]
Short Fiction
Truth, Justice, and the American Way
Once you become visible, it's hard to disappear into the shadows again, but Hank White was doing his level best. His life depended on it. People looked right through you when you were flipping
...
[+]
Poetry
Fish in Winter
Short Fiction
Guilty Treasure
It's a sunny Sunday afternoon —celebratory day: the sun hadn't visited your city's sky in ages— and you're out in the flea market. Browsing the offerings among the throng of people: old things, new
...
[+]
Short Fiction
Busy Bodies
It was a wonder the neighbors didn't complain. And I know it's irrational, maybe even paranoid, but I imagined the old guy upstairs must have heard me crying lately and was mocking my
...
[+]
Short Fiction
The Brighter Light
I was chasing my little brother through the park at dusk. The whole park was filled with restless families waiting for the fireworks to start. My brother halted in his grass-stained diaper. "God
...
[+]
Children's
If You Ever Met a Dragon
If you ever met a dragon
and asked him in for tea,
he'd rave about the apple scones
with great civility.
He'd be the perfect guest
for anyone to host,
unless the dragon hiccuped
and flamed ... [+]
and asked him in for tea,
he'd rave about the apple scones
with great civility.
He'd be the perfect guest
for anyone to host,
unless the dragon hiccuped
and flamed ... [+]
Short Fiction
The Secret Rules for Children of Priests
Rule Number 1: When asked about your parentage, give suitably vague answers.
It was Jimmy Doogan, a boorish kid with freckles spread like flak across his face, who had been the first to ... [+]
It was Jimmy Doogan, a boorish kid with freckles spread like flak across his face, who had been the first to ... [+]
Children's
3 min
The Coin of Knowledge
I have never been a big believer in luck. The concept that success is a result of actions out of our control and hidden to reality. But fortune. I can get behind fortune. For where luck leaves
...
[+]
Short Fiction
The Big Curve
The last time I saw my father he was wearing a toupee that looked like a year's worth of dryer lint, a worn-out Carolina t-shirt, the blue almost white now, green golfing shorts, and penny loafers
...
[+]
Children's
Adventure
2 min
The Adventures of Captain Sundae
The midday sun shines overhead, greeting our so-called hero, Captain Sundae, and his trusty dog, Top. Captain Sundae has been fishing all morning while Top has been busy sunbathing by the
...
[+]
Poetry
While Transporting Motorcycles in Vietnam
I wedge myself between the Hondas,
Giving up my place to him,
Moving slowly and with help.
Pant ... [+]
Giving up my place to him,
Moving slowly and with help.
Pant ... [+]
Poetry
Nature
1 min
Song of Wind, Song of Light
Short Fiction
Burning Man, a fable
It came to him suddenly, as he ran down the street screaming and on fire, that he was making a spectacle of himself.
After all, this was a modest neighborhood of well-maintained lawns and sensible ... [+]
After all, this was a modest neighborhood of well-maintained lawns and sensible ... [+]
Short Fiction
The Windigo
With a fresh kill in tow, the hunter made his way back to camp through the snow-covered forest. The weight of the stag labored his every step. A cold snap hit. Sharp, biting winds whipped icy
...
[+]
Short Fiction
The Great Curtain
When we awoke, we found a great curtain of linked metal rungs had been lowered to earth from the sky. The chain mail drape connected land and sky and ran as far the eye could see, across the ocean
...
[+]
Poetry
Romance
1 min
Little Things
Poetry
Contemporary
1 min
April Fool
Short Fiction
Snow Angel
The meep of the alarm dragged me from the warmth of my quilt cocoon and smack into Monday morning. I had to bat at it four times before it finally stopped and I found my glasses. 6:00 A.M. and still
...
[+]
Short Fiction
The Cat Lady’s Lament
I never thought I would end up like this – like a tabloid horror story. Someday I bet I'll be discovered dead, here in my tiny, piss-scented apartment, being devoured by my seventy cats.
Thing is ... [+]
Thing is ... [+]