The road disappeared behind me as I drove up the narrow, rugged gravel driveway to my family’s ancestral home. As I rounded a treacherous bend, the old house came into view. I was glad that I had thought to rent a 4x4 pickup for the trip. Years of abandon...
Nails on a chalkboard The sound of his voice The extra day’s visit When given no choice The fog-laden air And lack of sunshine The cool winter breeze Causing my sister’s whine The quickly raised voices Insisting they’re right The misinformation That cause...
They have to leave the house, the house painted so lovingly, they carry their cat with them, they already placed their dog In a kennel, till they find a place, they don´t complain, they go on, just seeing all is taken care of. And the child follows them,...
Amazing and beautiful sisters I’ve found. Cross generations and continents abound. Newly found kin from yesterday and today. Welcome and comfort in a heartfelt way. Voices bringing sisters back to the light. Gone but not forgotten makes the journey fe...
If I had one wishI'd be a fishI'd swim the seaand make a splishIf I had one otherI'd make a brotherWe'd splish aroundWith one anotherIf a third would comeI'd make a mumTo make us smileWhen we were glumIf a fourth were hadI'd make a dadTo keep us safeFrom...
I discovered the secret to having a Merry Christmas long ago. It was Christmas Eve 1993. I stopped by my brother Gene’s home to drop off the presents I had gotten for my nephews, John and Nic. John was 9 years old and Nic was 7 years old. It was about 7 p...
One bright and beautiful summer's day, The Jingles family --Mom, Dad and their two kids-- decided to go on a picnic and play at the park. They packed a big basket filled with submarine sandwiches, fresh fruit and their favourite delicious cookies as a spe...
0430 Military time, 8 year old Theo would wake up, clean up, put on his dungarees, and fill up with whatever Mama bought that week. By 0515 get to the corner for the farm truck to come by. Everyone there was speaking another language, yet they came to kn...
In dream, my skin has been charred soot-black, not all over my body, but on my arms, my legs, my penis, my chest. In dream, I only notice the burns if my eye happens to fall upon that area of skin. There is no pain. No pain, but a deep, shuddering fright...
Lonely:With his good hand, Tom raised his glass and drank deeply. Blergh! He thought, making a face. Raspberry Vodka. It was all they had. All he could find in the house, all the other drinks and alcohol being wasted on the mourners at Cheryl's wake. He'd...
The basement didn’t show up on John’s radar until about a year after they had lived in the house, though other spots did, and much more quickly. His daughters took note of the upstairs hallway before they even moved in. Em said it felt weird. John felt it...
“Where the hell are all the forks?” John grumbled from the kitchen, not for the first time. “Emily takes them,” said El from the dinner table. “No I don’t!” wailed Em. El turned to her Dad. “Emily takes them and she hides them,” she said. “This is between...
The house stood at a high vista spot square with the cardinal points and with a clear view all around over the barbed wired fencing to pastures and other houses scattered across the landscape. The single story frame house was moved from its foundation jus...
Em asked her Dad to mount a full length mirror on the inside of her door when she was nine years old. The mirror whispered to her just after she turned ten. Or rather, something in the mirror whispered. She had just started fourth grade, and for the first...
“God-damn-it!” Mike barked as he pumped his car brakes and spanked the horn with his palm. The cause of his consternation --a speeding black sedan that cut him off on the highway-- was already long gone. “Stupid son of a…” “Mike,” Cynthia sighed aloud, in...
