It started as a notion that affected very few –an ill that lacked a potion, so it traveled and it grew.A viral infestation that was spreading ‘cross the landhad sparked investigation, but was getting out of hand.It broached the local borders, then it showed up overseaswhere it brought out all the hoarders – took the planet to her knees.They used the term ‘pandemic’ when the numbers were unveiled –a problem deemed ‘systemi...

  The Dancer   Dancing for dollars over whistles and hollers,showing skin from her head to her toes –she was Friday night’s rage on a drab smoky stage,tucking bills in the band of her hose. The job was no treasure and it brought her no pleasure,only tips and some offers for trade,a tender for sin from lascivious men –but alas, there were bills to be paid. Departure was swift at the end of her shift –to escape from the smo...

Holy Goat!The story began with the wave of His handthat created the moon and the stars,and a rock that was spun ‘round a neighboring sun –in the space between Venus and Mars.He changed it from stone that was dead-to-the-bone,to a world that you wouldn’t believe –and a garden to boot with some low hanging fruitfor a couple named Adam and Eve.But when He was done, when the rain and the sunturned the surface from barren to g...

SamanthaI’d never been this way before – was not my normal route,but I felt a bit audacious, so I altered my commute.Surrounded by the quaintness of a little Georgia townon my way to Alabama – thought I’d stop and look around.I’m not sure why I did it – why I chose to take a break,since I wasn’t tired or hungry and I had a trip to make.I parked beside a fountain on a street of tourists’ fareand joined the window-shoppers...

A nation was braced for the end of the raceand the close of a turbulent year –The votes had been cast, all the data amassed and the victor was soon to appear. They’d both tried to tap a mysterious gap,as a way to unbalance the scale –was anyone’s guess, but the folks in the presswere convinced that the Donald would fail. None were prepared for the stats that were airedwhen the millions of votes had been summed –was a tota...

Beauty Queen At early age, she took the stage – with her mother as her guide, such poise and grace with an angel’s face and a talent none denied. Critics claimed that the stage was stained with a lack of moral form – that to spark appeal wearing rouge and heels shouldn’t be a youngster’s norm. But her mom was rife with a model’s life and before, when just a teen – she got her start when she made the chart as a beauty-page...

MediocreI’m told I’m mediocreAnd I guess it must be true –I have no natural talents and my skills are very few.I fear my lack of brillianceis embedded in the bone,inciting resignationlike an edict cast in stone.I set my sights for greatness,But I’m always falling short –My objectives simply greaterthan my spirit can support.I’m not so good at testingand I’m happy with a C,Though once, I’d like a perfect score –It’s just n...

When I came across this picture, I felt I had to write a story around it. Empathy What do you see when you're looking at meif we happen to pass on the street?Will you show some concern, our your head simply turnin a moment of social retreat? Will you greet with a smile or just put me on trialand then judge me by how I appear -convinced I've been served with the life I deserve,in a setting so bleak and austere? Will the fa...

Refugee Little Mira rose beneath an unrelenting sun –a single face in many who were tired and on the run. Her little feet were blistered and her lips were cracked and dry –she longed for food and water from the stores in short supply. A solid week of walking in a hundred ten degreeshad her wishing for a shower – or at least a subtle breeze. Though neither wish was granted, Mira had to persevere –a child of ten devoid of k...

Call it being clever, call it skill or call it wit – he had a way of picking words that always seemed to fit. He started writing stories, then progressed to rhyme and verse with words that sparked emotion – some for better, some for worse. Declared a ‘natural poet’, since he had no dossier – his writing lacked the polish that a scholar might portray. He had no formal training, used his own inherent style to capture tragic...

Friendly Fire A local boy was cutting grass one Sunday afternoon,amidst the granite markers and the shrubs still left to prune. And as he wove his way around the obstacles at hand,he saw a fellow kneeling on a patch of harrowed land. The man was bent and crying as he leaned against the stoneconversing with a spirit – like he wasn’t there alone. ‘Twas clear he’d been a soldier by the patches on his shirtand the artificial...

My mom is a huge Josh Groban fan, so I bring her to town every time he appears. His next concert is in September, only this time - I purchased tickets that include a meeting with the man himself. She won't know what to do. A Mother’s Dream An afternoon rain on the streets of Chastain had the traffic reduced to a crawl through an ocean of fans in their trucks and sedans – I’m surprised we were moving at all. I had my conce...

Since I couldn't find a decent rhyming Valentine's Day card for my spouse, I purchased one with nothing inside and inserted my own:Valentine’s Day is a tribute we payto the ones we consider most dear with words that express all the love we possess – that they might not consistently hear. A day that’s consigned to ensure I remind you of how glad I am you’re my wife – a day to confess I’m eternally blessed to have someone l...

Bottoms Up An hourly clerk on a Friday at work, was the last place she wanted to be – putting up stock while the hands on the clock seemed to stick on a quarter-to-three. A typical day filled with minimum-pay, that would start every morning at eight made her less than a fan of her parents’ demand that she get out and pull her own weight. Amber was young and the burden that hung on her shoulders was stinging a tad – that c...

The Final Tour I admit I was miffed – near the end of my shift when my radio squawked a request for just one final run ‘til my workday was done – to a house with an east-side address. I was slightly perturbed when I pulled to the curb and I anxiously tapped on my horn, then I started to go when my fare failed to show – but my dutiful sense left me torn. I was Irked as a crab when I climbed from my cab and proceeded to kno...