By Ed Ahern Their intimacy speaks in the unsaid. opposition unraised, disagreement stilled, stifled correction or contradiction, permission for those close to rest in the wrong while choke-chaining the harsher truths. Little silent helping things saying that courtesy is an inadequate term to explain the need to hold one another in loving stasis. Ed Ahern … Continue reading They Don’t Talk Much Anymore
I Wasn’t Drunk
By Jennifer Leigh Kiefer I wasn’t drunk. That’s the truth. I never am though, so I knew you wouldn’t realize I was faking. The half a bottle I had slowly sipped was just an excuse. Something I could blame – we both could blame. As I wandered away from the group huddled on the large … Continue reading I Wasn’t Drunk
The Miserable
By Tammy B. Tsonis I was born to be miserable like my mother and her mother before her. I was five when I discovered my destiny. I ran toward the kitchen for my favorite snack– a hostess twinkie - and saw my mother crying, tears rolling down her cheeks as she held a dirty mop … Continue reading The Miserable
Clam
By Miss Kay CLAM. From his bent position it was hard to make out his face. He seemed unfazed by the happenings around him. The town centre was abuzz. Honking cars, traffic slowly building. The park close by engulfed in activity. It was Saturday and the town’s people descended upon the park to flex their … Continue reading Clam
Little Dom’s
By Niles Reddick Christina and I got engaged at Griffith Observatory overlooking Los Angeles at sunset. We had done most pre-marriage necessities--met each other’s dysfunctional families, shared about previous relationships, and agreed on future goals. We paid the fee to park, walked to the edge of the cliff nearest the Hollywood sign, and stood breathing … Continue reading Little Dom’s
Face to Face
By Uday Mukerji Face to Face I threw off the comforter and ran to the bathroom. I was perspiring, and my heart was pounding inside my chest. I sat down at the edge of the bathtub to put the whole incident into perspective, although I feared the harm had already been done. The words had … Continue reading Face to Face
By the Clock
By Barry Kritzberg He said he would meet her under Marshall Field’s clock. Everyone knew the clock, he said, it was a Chicago landmark, even though Marshall Field’s had become Macy’s. He said all of this quickly, for he was hoping to conceal that he was without wheels and would arrive by public transportation. He … Continue reading By the Clock
Miracle Stain Remover
By Glen Donaldson Even while in the act of asking, long-suffering Gwendolyn O’Malley felt the tiredness that comes with uttering pointless words. “How hard would it be to put your dirty glass in the dishwasher instead of leaving it on the counter?” Her self-aware-grump husband Art, reclined in the floral-patterned lounge chair not ten feet … Continue reading Miracle Stain Remover
Luzia’s Dowry
By Jozef Leyden The plane bringing me from Copenhagen to Lisbon was half-empty. So was the ‘Arrivals’ at the Lisbon-International on that late warm October evening when I came across her ̶ my inamorata-siren ̶ for the first time. With no checked baggage, just a backpack, I smoothly sailed through ‘Immigration and Customs,’ briskly pacing … Continue reading Luzia’s Dowry
Leaving For Love
By Luke Beling The sea was a candle in his eyes. If he hoped to find what lay underneath it, he'd need to kiss her on the lips and promise to be back one day. Mary considered herself more than obtuse, undebated over like the choice of a holiday in the mountains or at the … Continue reading Leaving For Love
Academy of the Heart And Mind 