Back when I was young and blissfully ignorant, I loved the leading up and the first week of school. I would get my birthday money from my great-aunt in Ohio for my birthday and used that to buy my school supplies. The smell of opening up a fresh pack of notebook paper and putting it in my binder is euphoric. Don't get me started on the book bags. The one I picked out had to fit my books and the occasional jacket. I was ex...

“Excuse me. Is the bar still open?” I look up from cleaning to see an older male with an overly patched burlap messenger bag that has seen better days. I motion for the man to sit down at a table that doesn’t have its chairs upturned. “The bar is closed for the night, but I can get you something. What would you like?” I asked. “A dirty martini,” he replied. “Extra gritty, double olives?” “It’s the only way I roll.” As I m...

I am a grown woman that writes in her diary, and I’m not ashamed of it.I was given a diary at the age of ten, not knowing the purpose of having one. I didn’t have a lot of things to talk about, only how annoying people in my immediate family are. Two years later, an assignment was given in class about journal writing, and I took to it immediately. During that summer, I bought a cheap spiral-bound notebook and began writin...

For the past few years, I was a ne’er do well. I was the one kid from the Houston ghettoes that would throw illegal raves, steal cars, run a couple meth labs, run drugs to Mexico and saw the inside of a jail cell more times than dudes saw the panty line of the neighborhood slut. The number of times I’ve been arrested should go in a record book somewhere. I’m surprised I’m not featured on America’s Most Wanted. The beginni...

She really hated the holidays. The constant hustle and bustle of people buying gifts, a selfish holiday for greedy-ass kids and adults, and more people coming in at the last minute. Oh, the insanity of it all! "I'll be glad when this holiday is over," she says to herself. "Shops opening up early and closing really late, spoiled brats are running around like crazy and it's a madhouse. What's the use of celebrating somethin...

LadySharon, tell me your secrets to writing original pieces. Of course. I write stories in fragments...some good, some bad. I dream in color, rendering images I can see in the recesses of my psyche. Some nights, I’ll wake up with the not-so-reliable writing muses talking to me and I capture what they’re saying to me in a notebook. I don’t begin typing on a laptop until I have a handwritten rough draft in front of me. Then...

Summer has left the resort town. The first of the cool winds has set in. Early show clouds are in the sky, producing cold rain and not snow. The once-thriving bushes are now bare brambles, never to bloom again until spring. The forest on the outskirts of town is shrouded in dusky light from what's left of the sun. People are exploring the shops, picking up their materials for the early onset of winter, skipping over fall....

Stripped to nothing Everyone knows your secret You hear the whispers An out-of-body experience Occurs immediately It feels as though You’re in a forest, Walking amidst the Barren trees and Brambles of dead bushes In a perpetual Fog The cold wind Against your skin The barrage of clouds, Blocking out the sun The moonlight shines, Only to not Reach the ground. Too dusky for you? Exposure does not Become you. Scary, isn’t it?...

They had nothing to say to each other. After all of the backstabbing, infidelity, name calling, and beatings, she'd had enough of his shit. She looked in the mirror at her busted bottom lip, chipped front teeth, black eye, and the splint on her nose. She decided to leave everything behind, including her husband. She jumped a mile when her cell phone rang. “Hello?” she asked nervously. “Are you ready to go?” the voice aske...

I choose to become an independent author I choose to write organically I choose my friends wisely I choose to say “NO!” when something doesn’t feel right in my soul I choose my destinations in life I choose to read quality stories and poetry I choose which deity I want to worship I choose to not let other people’s opinions of me to gnaw at me I choose what’s best for Sharon, no one else I choose whose opinion really matte...

I often wonder: If I became A celebrity, Would you admire me? If I became Filthy rich, Would you be my friend? If I became A best-selling author, Would you read my books? If I became A schoolteacher, Would you learn from me? If I called you Crying in the middle Of the night, Would you pick up and answer? If I were An ü ber-nerd, Would you hang out with me? If I moved away, Would you come visit me? If I was in need, Would...

Sheets of rain Pound onto My window panes. The hard splattering Of water Keeps me In bed, Dreaming of My lover. He's lying Next to me In the embrace That only Lovers know. We make small talk About how much We love each otherAs the rainHit the roofOf our Love nest. The rain poursAll day longThe clouds partMaking wayFor a Starry night.

Every day in the summer People flock to The swimming hole To hang out with family And friends. All of the kids Populate the area And have fun. Jumping off the tire swing And diving into the pond Laughing and telling jokes Until one day A kid got hurt And another one drowned. The swimming hole Got shut down, Depriving the children Of a summer At the legendary Swimming hole.

I’m ready to make a change In my life. No longer will I live With my parents and siblings. I want to live on my own. Apartment hunting is tough Especially for one who works part-time, Awaiting the day of having a career In the career field of my dreams. The first steps Are underway now! Four years of Higher learning and internships Graduation day came and went. I landed interviews in my career field. And have several inte...

I am committed and determinedI wonder do slow and steady really do win the raceI hear my name being calledI see myself as a recipient of something greatI want to share my reward with the runners-upI am committed and determinedI pretend I am confidentI feel the pressure mountI touch the proverbial brass ringI worry about not being noticedI cry when I’m frustratedI am committed and determinedI understand things don’t come e...