Story is marked as mature

I shall not end my life and hurt you worse,

Despite the ideation in my mind--

How cruel an act! If reason I can find,

I'll fix it in my head, beguile the curse.

.

No healing comes from lying in a hearse,

I know. There is no need, so don't remind;

If we ca…

Today I broke a friendship once again

It lately seems to happen every day

I try so to be kind, but what I say

Hurts lovely people, causing grief and pain

.

How come? It truly goes against the grain

I long to be a nurturer, and pay

Respect, attention--Sadl…

Today my nails are red; so are my shorts,

And, as I shaved my arms at CCH,

That colour flowed again. And, glad to see

My blood come dripping down, I slashed again.

Oh, fire-engine red looked fair to me--

.

But then I thought back, and I bit my tongue,

Rec…

I don't get you. I don't get me.

I should give up, as you can see.

Thanks for the friendship; thanks a lot.

I'm here, where ev'ry day's too hot.

.

Don't follow me! Don't hold me back.

My kindness changes to attack.

Please save yourself while you still…

I drove 3 hours to find your boat pushing barges up the mighty Mississippi. You were not supposed to be on your phone, but you coordinated with me your location so I could stand on the bridge and wave.

The moment you passed, I smiled and waved like a mad…

She cried silently on the video chat, tears running down, sniffles, and gasps for air. "I... n..know. I can... do this."

"Listen, it's not personal. It's just that the last time this happened to me, I lost a friend. We used to be close and then it ended. …

I'm on the outside looking in. I see you inside, laughing, joy written on your face. The door is locked, but sometimes I can hear what you say inside.

This time, I'm not distraught. I'm not frantically beating on the walls to be let in. I'm not crying oc…

"I have a hard time trusting people. I just don't want to jump unless someone's there to catch me," I texted.

I waited, the confession making my palms sweat. My phone did not slip from my hands, however. I watched the text box for a response. My heart cr…

Everett called at the door, "Hey, you guys having a party in there?"

Sasha wiped her tears and checked her face in the mirror.

"Just a minute!" Natalie called out.

Some lady pushed her way in, looking perturbed. Natalie shoved Sasha out of the bathroo…

The three of them had been chatting over drinks at a table in a hotel lounge bar. Everett kept sharing what his girl was messaging him as it happened. Then she facetimed him. Sasha excused herself and headed towards the ladies room. Natalie watched her, c…

There's something broken inside. It rattles with every breath. It weighs down my lungs, curving my spine and slumping my shoulders. My heart works harder than it should, slightly panicked at the change inside. It knows that something is wrong and it can't…

"I don't think you should be alone. You need to rest. Do you want to go to your sister's, your place, or mine?" I offered.

He blinked at me, processing what I said at the same time as he was processing his emotions and the events that just unfolded.

"I'…

She explained how this pre-natal nurse had come to see her everyday in the hospital, since she refused to leave the babe and insisted on a private room. He was handsome and did everything he could to appease her. He wasn't supposed to keep helping the bab…

The houses here were like high rise apartments lining the steep walls of the caldera. The buildings in the bowl were community buildings. I took my friend to the hospital, on the trail of his wife and the baby she risked it all for.

His name was Charlie.…

Operations came in the night. They gathered up those who were gaining entry to the caldera and led us through the giant steel doors. The tunnel was dark and dimly lit by torches. The pair of uniformed men at the rear of the procession snuffed out the torc…

Marcy was dark. Not just dark, but a shade of black that was blacker than any shade of black that you could possibly dream up. She played bass guitar too. Well. Which was part of her charm. Part of the immense and dark charm that she had. She exuded it on…

"She'll call." My girlfriend patted my shoulder comfortingly.

"No, she won't. She's stubborn like that; Taurus and all." I stared down at the blank screen of my cell phone.

"Well if she doesn't, forget her."

"Forget her!? She was the only person who di…

I was parked at the edge of the world. There was a hill at the very back of my parent's property that overlooked the neighbor's pasture filled with cows. It was a great place to stop and think. I had turned off the radio and watched the bovines graze. The…

There's no place that can feel like home

Without someone who's kind to you.

Most any place, if I'm alone,

Fills me with heartache ochre-blue.

.

The grandest palace, opulent

With every comfort you could want;

The cozy cottage; finest tent

Without your love…

You knew each other in school, you were neighbors, but it wasn’t until years later that you become friends. You would meet, make each other laugh, have fun. You needed that in your life; there wasn’t anyone else you could hang out with.

But suddenly he…

NASA has predicted that in 15 minutes, the sun will have reached the red giant stage. While temps have already forced all humans underground for centuries, in this stage, the Earth will change orbit even more than it has in the last 100 years, and all li…

We built a clubhouse way back where our two properties meet, sheltered in the woods. It was a our own safe house, a place of love, friendship, and laughter.

Soon after it was built, the thrill of a new getaway began to wear off. We'd named it, made signs…

The party was for Valerie. She was departing for warmer weather. It made sense. Despite being a programmer and board gamer, she loved to surf.

Me? I was a quintessential nerd and living proof that making a girl laugh, doesn't mean she will be attracted t…

But graduation seemed a new beginning:

A different major to enrich my mind,

Fresh challenges and contests for the winning,

A one-bedroom apartment (hard to find).

-

Ah! Living on my own, my shy moon waxed,

While self-esteem soon waned, a fleeting dream.

W…