Responder pruned, collapsing in on itself, shrinking down like bacon in a frying pan. I knew from the few weeks since he'd shown up that the intensity of his emotional distress dictated the amount of area he lost. This was the worst I'd ever seen, losing …

Kelly had been fourteen when she decided her father wasn't coming back. He had disappeared two years prior while on a walk, something he'd do quietly on his own every couple of days. Busy doing homework at the kitchen table she hadn't noticed it then but …

It's the heart; the best part. I saved it for you.

I protected it, made sure it stayed whole and as innocent and full of light as possible. I used it only to build you up, to raise you from the darkness. I used it to praise you and to welcome you with op…

Not quite white

or gray

or blue

.

The moon is a muse

Mainstay

Voodoo

.

A means to an end

risque

preview

.

Beating hearts, abuse

love sway

untrue

.

The moon, impassive

midway

withdrew

.

Left lovers lost

cold day

tears few

.

Returned to mock

hearsay

statue

…

7:55 AM

Students are breakfasted, bell rings, they begin their morning routines. Chat with them about their weekend, listen and offer advice.

8:30AM

Coworker Stress arrives, early, as usual, going on about something they wish they could change.

9:00AM

C…

It was the smell of geraniums that called it to mind again after all these years. My kid had picked a handful for me. I got a whiff of them and the years peeled back.

I had to water the garden, and I loved the geraniums best. I sang to them, I read them…

Wonderful Auntie,

Beautiful Jean,

Oh, how I will miss you,

You'll never know what your friendship did mean.

Sleep well, my friend,

Jehovah saw all you did,

In His loving memory,

is where you'll be hid.

Your positive attitude,

Your loving spirit,

Will no…

Do we orbit or dance? An orbit

is a dance

of gravity, energy, mass.

Are you afraid of collisions?

honestly, I'm not sure what you could fear.

I'm afraid--afraid of missing.

Afraid that the twisting shadows,

strangely posing are deceptions

wit…

My new apartment felt like it was part of my old neighborhood. The details differed, of course. A Mexi-mart instead of a 7-11 on the corner. Out front, Carson Street stretched out instead of Fallon Street. But sometimes new streets shared the same faces, …

A million people surrounded me on the First Day, faces lit with terror, their eyes burning with the fever of zealotry.

“Lifegiver!” one screamed, weeping openly. “Why is this happening?”

These were my people, my creation. I crafted each with love and pa…

She saw him across the crowded party basement. Her heart swelled with euphoria. Her eyes sparkled. She was overly exuberant, but her friends thought she'd caught the party fever. They had no idea of her secret passion for the boy lurking in the corner.

W…

Running. For years now, it has seemed that all I have been doing is running. Running from my life, my friends, my family, my job. Finally, a time has come when a break seems almost feasible. Slower and slower I ease up on my pace, until I am all but left …