In the genre of recounting horrors There’s nothing sacred in invention. Though corny, gory, trite, or tasteless, The sell-out beats the solemn mention Of those unlucky rendezvous The storyteller knows are true And are of our own dimension. When first I spoke my story, as a salesman, The intention capped at provocation, For conversations persuading … Continue reading The Haunted Man
I’m a server at an Americanized Chinese restaurant. This is based on real experiences: Caroline ate fried rice at one of the nineteen empty patio tables collecting dust that Thursday morning. When she started working at Lee’s Family Kitchen four years before, mornings included a gracious and considerate assortment of noodles and protein cooked fresh … Continue reading Ghost of a Kung Pao Chicken – Part 2
I'm a server at an Americanized Chinese restaurant. This is based on real experiences: The news confirmed the first local cases on a Tuesday evening, but Nel and Caroline read the news on Wednesday. Nel’s fingers throbbed from the wrong weight of bowling ball as his phone buzzed relentlessly with message after panicked message until … Continue reading Ghost of a Kung Pao Chicken – Part 1
Daniel expected to be murdered someday. It happened to half of the characters in the movies And at least one person per episode on TV. As Daniel explored more chapter books during his class’s “silent reading time,” He found that some character always died at some point. After school, those books rarely made it out … Continue reading Daniel Up At Night
Two moons beyond the twinkling sea Little brother Who waited for big sister to tire of adult distraction And dance as siblings do When they're too young to collect trappings (Aside from bruises) Two moons Two siblings dancing Naked in the dust of space © 2019
Daniel took a walk everyday because playing in his room became lonely. He wove from the east end of town to the south, From the north end of town to the west, Wearing blue jeans in the summer Because his only shorts were too large and had no pockets, And in shorts, the socks he … Continue reading Daniel Walking Alone
Daniel was a quiet boy, because talking got him hurt. He knew how much the teachers hated to hear him speak. He spoke at the wrong times. He spoke at the wrong volume. He spoke to the wrong people. He spoke of the wrong things. Daniel scribbled and scratched and filled his notebooks. “Look at … Continue reading Daniel of Corsica
Past home and shore and sea and stars Beyond our hope of owning Mars, Past planetary fashioned forms Where stars are cold and ice is warm, There lives someone whose name is Earl. Earl is not man. Earl is not girl. Earl is not light and is not sound But large enough to strip both … Continue reading Earl at the Far Side of Space
I wrote this recently as the possible opening for an untitled orphanage project that I've otherwise shelved, but it's a perfect example of one of my favorite ways to commence and build a story: beginning with a setting. Please enjoy! New Hill Lane never grew used to the attention. Jutting from the apex of a … Continue reading New Hill Lane – Beginning a Story with a Place
Dryer balls and midnight tea, Organic soaps, our indoor tree, 12 grain and seed bread (sugar free), I never thought this way. Now wind chime shells and flat sole shoes, And plans for Fifth Element tattoos, And where we’ll take that couple’s cruise When nothing’s in our way, Like busy bees who hate to roam, … Continue reading “Your Favorites” – Day 30 of National Poetry Month
The Favoring Wind 