By Milena Filipps Under the influence of time in the shape of years, calendars and sunsets, we learn to believe that every town has a soul. It may be a collective memory, a view, an invention, a dialect, a name or a phantom encompassing a unique structure of history and chaos, care and carelessness, flowers … Continue reading Soulless cars, portable homes
Anthem
By Ryder Smith An Aromantic Love Story Told Out of Order for Dramatic Effect September I’ve never experienced a love like this before. His perfectly tamed, flowing brunette hair. His round, almost frameless golden glasses signifying that he’s clearly queer. I have no idea what his relationship history is, but that’s not important; I know. … Continue reading Anthem
Dreams Within Dreams
By Earl Smith Dreams Within DreamsEarl Smith It was a sunny wintery morning. The air was crisp and bracing. At the edge of a forest clearing, Wolverine sat atop a moss-covered log, his sharp gaze fixed on the open meadow beyond the tree line. Just above him a sleek, inky-black Raven perched on a low-hanging … Continue reading Dreams Within Dreams
Plastic Flowers
By Charmaine Arjoonlal Vanity of vanity Vanity of vanity... All is vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:14 Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto I DODGED THROUGH the din and smells and shoppers to purchase another pair of pants. I wanted her to find me beautiful. I wanted her to love me. I’d finally have a place. In front of a … Continue reading Plastic Flowers
The Good Goodbye
By Tracie Adams I’m positive the assistant manager of the ice-skating rink was not expecting the response he got. He puffed out his argyle sweater-clad chest and squared off his petite, round shoulders as if trying to scare off a bear. His animated behavior only served to heighten the humor of the scene, so my … Continue reading The Good Goodbye
Shopping Memories
By Debra J. White I grew up in New York City during the Cold War era. The city was packed with multi-level department stores that stocked clothing, furniture, toys, linens, hats, appliances and more. There was free gift wrapping and complimentary boxes. Some NYC department stores like Bloomingdale’s were high end for the upscale shopper. … Continue reading Shopping Memories
A Night in an Ethiopian Monastery
By Michael J. Barrington Debre Damos had always fascinated me. I’d visited several monasteries in Ethiopia on previous visits, including several in Lake Tana, but never this one. Getting there by road was only the beginning of my adventure! Having flown into Axum, I drove towards Adigrat, on a reasonably well surfaced road, passing deep … Continue reading A Night in an Ethiopian Monastery
I Felt it in My Blood
By Lennox Shuppe I remember my great grandmother, Maude, collecting things. She went to flea markets in rural Oklahoma, coming home with little treasures that she squirreled away. Her home smelled of cinnamon, sage, and old books. The ground was neatly swept cement in her tiny little home on the Cherokee reservation. As you walked … Continue reading I Felt it in My Blood
A Pandemic Journal, the First Few Weeks
By Bakhtiar Ahmed First published: March 2022 in Kindle Thy Embers Anthology published by Lit-light publishers, Pakistan A Pandemic Journal, the First Few Weeks Bakhtiar Ahmed I woke up with a sinking feeling, a feeling of dread and hopelessness; I had an intense urge to flee but there was nowhere to go. I felt trapped, suffocated, … Continue reading A Pandemic Journal, the First Few Weeks
Who Am I? A Journal of Self Discovery
By Savannah Sisk This essay is a journey of self-discovery contained in a meager two thousand-something words. As you read you will watch me discover, then re-discover the concept of identity. As you read, you will watch me discover my identity. Along the way, you might be influenced to begin your own journey of self-discovery. … Continue reading Who Am I? A Journal of Self Discovery
Academy of the Heart And Mind 