By Mahathi Kadhirselvan I was the class teacher for ninth grade, constantly swept up in the tide of their little obsessions and rituals. One of the strangest was the fascination with 11:11 wishes. My students treated that minute as if it were a doorway to destiny, whispering their hopes into the air like charms. But … Continue reading 10:10
The Human World
By Susan L. Pollet Dressed in fairy finery she announced that she has a problem, saying, unapologetically,that it is the human worldShe proclaimed that shewould not think ofbeing a tooth fairy,nothing so pedestrian,twirled her wand inan arcand created something betterthan what she was givenfive years onWithout a doubtwe all wanted in Susan L. Pollet is … Continue reading The Human World
Dreams
By Gary William Ramsey The cold winds of life Awakens the sleeping mind As dreams are pulled away from you And suspended in space and time. Then love is just a whisp of clouds Happiness a star unseen Until she returns to me Deep within my dreams. The midnight rain begins to fall Echoing her … Continue reading Dreams
Beaches
By N.T. Chambers What issurrenderedto others in lifeis never lost -merely scatteredlike so manyleaves among the time-warymoments of existencetransforming familiarlandscapesof what had beenbeforeinto nascent seedsof future dreamsthat will rise dune-likecreating endlesshorizons of unseenpossibilities N.T. Chambers, former teacher and therapist, writes about the emotions, events, and experiences intrinsic to the human condition. The author has had … Continue reading Beaches
Bouquet, Untouched
By Ariba Khan This work has previously been published on Write the World. A morning glory with wilted tendrils seres, desiccate with decay. Her veins no longer throb, She shrinks and withers away. Her tendrils coil no more; roots bleeding dry. Her petals fall apart, Beneath the tenebrous sky. Softly, sunk beneath the soil, alone … Continue reading Bouquet, Untouched
Days of Halloween: “The Friar’s Lanterns” by Nina Dinan
I saw the friar’s lanternsGo out among the tombsTo fetch the new arrivalsFrom out their lightless rooms. They flickered on the flowers,They bobbed among the stonesAnd slowly grew in numberAs souls departed bones. They floated to the chapelAnd vanished through the doorTo wake the ones who slumberedBeneath the chapel floor. I saw one in the … Continue reading Days of Halloween: “The Friar’s Lanterns” by Nina Dinan
Days of Halloween: “The Dynamic Duo” by Jim Bates
Watching her granddaughter’s first solo Halloween flight brought a tear of joy to old witch Marcie’s eyes. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she enthused to ten-year-old Allie. “Your loop d’ loops were beautiful.” Allie’s ears turned red. “Thanks, Grandma. Did you like how I flew backwards across the face of the moon?” “It was … Continue reading Days of Halloween: “The Dynamic Duo” by Jim Bates
Days of Halloween: “A Trench Coat Halloween” by Mary Bone
I stayed all night with my cousins sometimes when we were little. Sue, one of my cousins and I were about the same age. One night around Halloween, we had an intruder. We were lying in bed talking, when a shadow went by the window where we were sleeping. The intruder looked like a detective … Continue reading Days of Halloween: “A Trench Coat Halloween” by Mary Bone
Days of Halloween: “Play With Me” by Mubita Joseph Mubita
I don’t know where girls got the idea of not revealing their age; but it saves me every year during the obnoxious birthday song where I have to reveal my age. 27th October, 2000 is the day I came into this dark world. I don’t like parting like my friends. I love horror movies and … Continue reading Days of Halloween: “Play With Me” by Mubita Joseph Mubita
Days of Halloween: “The Janitor Act One” by Carl “Papa” Palmer
If the school principal, or the teachers, or parents, or any of the other kids knew, they never mentioned it and probably wouldn’t be believed anyway. Judy and I know for a fact Jason the janitor lives in Tacoma’s Woodbrook Middle School basement. Not only that, his mother lives there, too. The janitor is really … Continue reading Days of Halloween: “The Janitor Act One” by Carl “Papa” Palmer
