Working from home you must adjust your expectations of the mornings. No more stumbling across darkened parking lots fumbling for your key fob. No more friendly banter in office hallways. No more gossip before you settle in. The highlight of the morning now is a glass-walled Bodum french press. The squeak of my cupboard door, … Continue reading Things Change
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The Chosen
Adam sits in the chair in the gray holding cell with his hands against his knees. He keeps his eyes closed and listens to the movements out in the hall. “Stand up,” says a distant voice. “Hands out.” Chains jangle. “Stick out your tongue… clean.” “Move forward,” another voice says. Chains jangle again. A cell … Continue reading The Chosen
When Moms Explode
Post-pandemic family dinners have become dangerous and shaky ground. Allison feels the anxiety coat her bowels before she even gets out of bed. Thanksgiving used to be her favorite, but now with multiple families and multiple worldviews and every bit of life a hot-button issue, she just wants to pull the covers over her head. … Continue reading When Moms Explode
Camp Unity’s Fence
Gordy-- the cranky old caretaker-- squints at the moss-covered, rickety fence that circles Camp Unity. “Eyesore,” he says, snuffing through one nostril. Three dirt-smudged and wild-haired kids stand beside him in various attitudes of attention. The tallest boy with the tamest hair studies the fence with great attention. Its boards are gray and tall-- much … Continue reading Camp Unity’s Fence
No Greater Sin Than This
"Isn't that the wrong slur to use?" Amy asks nonchalantly from behind the kitchen sink, water gushing from the faucet. "What?" Shocked--bewildered!-- Ben looks up to see if he heard right... as if one could SEE what they were supposed to HEAR. "That's not even the right way to use that slur," she says. And … Continue reading No Greater Sin Than This
The Clouds that Muck Up Our Hearts
When the rain finally breaks and the autumn sun returns, my heart feels a little lighter. It's comforting to watch the leaves sparkle in the wind and to remember there is more to life than just gray and dreary and dreadful things. Sometimes we need the spears of sunshine to pierce through the clouds that … Continue reading The Clouds that Muck Up Our Hearts
Apocalypse Over
They hobble toward me through the early morning fog. Dawn has not yet broken, and the sky above the fog is slate gray and steely. Porch lights and street lights are pinpricks of blue, star-shaped sparkles high above the street. But the figures coming toward me are huddled and shapeless. Their toes seem to find … Continue reading Apocalypse Over
Nighttime Terrors
Darla noticed him watching her while she was at the gas pump. Beneath the flaring blue lights of the overhang, she caught his reflection in the back window of her car as he walked behind her. Black eyes. Hat low across his forehead. He darted a look at her as he passed between the pumps. … Continue reading Nighttime Terrors
The Last Warm Night
We walk up through the neighborhood houses on the last warm October night. The breeze tugs at the fallen leaves lying in the gutters, and they skitter along behind us. They sound like the pitter-patter of a thousand invisible feet stalking us from the shadows. I swing my boyfriend's hand back and forth. We peer … Continue reading The Last Warm Night
Author’s Note: Spooky Season
Hello Prose Lovers! 🥰 As I write, it is a rainy and gray, though unseasonably warm, morning here at my house. I've already been for my run and have watched the dark clouds roll in over the hilltops, soft rumbles of thunder giving ominous hints as to their intent. It is the kind of morning … Continue reading Author’s Note: Spooky Season
Seeking Prose 