Writings

Writings
Miscellaneous Writings and Musings

Maelstrom

Maelstrom
A genie and her rock band

(Novel and Short Stories)

Steal Tomorrow

Steal Tomorrow
Murder, Mystery, First Love, and the End of the World

(Novel and Short Stories)

My Books and Stories

My Books and Stories
Where to Buy, Read, Download

Out of Synch



Locked into identity:
sacred
secret
softly

Who knew such a little thing
could be so integral,
and its absence
color things sour,
tint everything gray,
and tip the world
asunder?

(disjointed)
(seams showing)
nothing fits together

Thinking avails us nothing,
for there are no answers here,
only a strange unmapped world
and a self
no longer synchronized:
out of synch
out of kilter
out of mind

If I can't understand
the little blasted bits
around me,
I have no chance
of putting it back together
(All the king's horses and all the king's men.)
and my only hope
is time's tincture:
slow
drip
painful
drop
trickling into the abyss
of a cubist artwork life
and unmemory.

This was written for The Sunday Whirl.

55 - Christmas Pony


I wanted for a pony for Christmas;
thought it would make a fun pet.
It wasn't a sensible present,
but I asked to see what I'd get.

I asked for a pony for Christmas;
said they could send it by elf.
Indeed I received what I asked for,
but I had to make it myself!











Felt pony made from kit.

Was Santa good to you, or did you get coal in your stocking? If you can tell your tale in exactly 55 words, let the G-Man know!

55 - Holiday Attire


It's a time to be festive,
a time for good cheer!
Christmas only comes
once a year.

But when I looked in my closet,
I had nothing to wear.
What holiday outfit
would suit a hare?

I puzzled it over,
and I have to know:
For Christmas can't I wear
just a big red bow?













Have you written a festive tale of exactly 55 words? Tell the G-Man!

Little Games


Little games we play,
supposed to represent real life,
but measuring only our ability
to guess the answer.

Don’t be sluggish
or combative.
Play along
with enthusiasm.
Pretend you don’t see the trick:
Fake
Phony
Artificial

Wear your favorite smile!

And when we’re through,
(Congratulations.)
have a bitter laugh,
and sigh for the wasted time.

Tomorrow we return to reality

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.

False Savior


They whisper little lies,
dressed up as a truth
that will set you free.
It's a simple plan,
an easy fix.
You're broken, don't you see?

You moon about, in thrall,
and my words fall on deaf ears.
They pair you with a guide
who would snatch your freedom,
put you in a box,
neatly labeled.

You're kept apart from those
who would expose
this grand deception,
and so you give away your power,
your mind,
your future,
that they should mold you in their image,
like clay.

A drowning man
cannot see the ocean,
but from the shore
I watch you buffeted on the waves of untruth,
your would-be savior
an unwitting angel of death.
And though I dare not cover my eyes
or look away,
I cannot help a man who will not swim.

This was written for The Sunday Whirl.

55 - Supplemented


I know the only cure is time,
nevertheless, I will try:

Calcium, magnesium,
boron, zinc...
Silica and manganese
will help, don't you think?

With mangosteen and horsetail,
there's no way I'll fail.
Compresses of comfrey leaf
will surely bring relief.

I'm doing all I can, you see.
Now excuse me while I make some tea...










I am now into my sixth week post-injury. I'm getting around better, but antsy for the next x-ray, which should give us an idea how quickly I'm healing.  

Have you written a story in exactly 55 words? Share it with the G-Man!

Arise and Walk


You sit and talk
about yourselves:
passive, passive,
never active agents in your lives.

Submit like children
to instruction,
as if you were twelve and stupid,
and not men.

Listen to them talk
about themselves:
boring, boring,
but this is the highlight
of your day,
otherwise you are:
damned
falling
failing
never strong
never safe
never saved
except on the dull shores of surrender.

Curse them all to hell.
No spoon-fed life is worth the living,
and no weakling worth the loving.

Arise and walk.

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.

55 - Prada Marfa


Alone on a dusty highway,
miles from any consumer,
let alone one in the market
for expensive shoes.

As a store, it would be useless,
forever in the red,
soon torn down to make
a parking lot.

But as a monument to consumer folly,
Prada Marfa compels,
and tourists beat a path to its door.











Read more about Prada Marfa here.

Have you written a story in exactly 55 words? Share it with the G-Man!

Tsunami


Your ocean knows only tsunamis:
first the calm,
then the destruction,
leaving chaos in its wake.

Though you insist this time it’s different,
I’ve seen this exposed bare mud before;
a brief interlude of calm,
followed by the wave that would drown me.

And so my heart seeks higher ground,
longing all the while
for a peaceful tide
that would lap at my toes
and gently give lie to the debris
of all those shipwrecks.

But your ocean knows only tsunamis.

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.