The morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, gently rousing me from my slumber. As I stretched and yawned, my senses were immediately assaulted by the persistent buzzing sound coming from Jess's phone. Curiosity piqued, I turned to her, concern etching my face. "What's going on, Jess? You seem a little concerned," I asked, my brow furrowing with genuine worry. She sighed, her eyes reflecting a mixture of excitement a...

Chapter 1 Nestled in a dimly lit corner of the bar, I found myself alone, seeking solace in the soft glow of warm, amber lights. The flickering illumination danced across the weathered wooden counter, creating intricate shadows that seemed to tell their own stories. The air was alive with the animated chatter and laughter of the other patrons, their voices blending together into a vibrant symphony that enveloped the space...

To a flower You are the fragrance And for poetry You are the refrain Something left from a dream Has taken time in place And the Now is only your face like a sea before my eyes Your beauty overflowed my thoughts And wrecked my sails And then, I look at you. Big dark eyes, from Arabian Nights Serenading Muashahat of halcyon glories knights and queens love adventures Love and sacrifice, and still your eyes hold undeciphered...

When people think of me they think of food. They say I have a relationship with it, almost as if I’m married to it. I confess it bothers me. It’s Ed I’m married to, and some people in this neighbourhood would do well to mention that a little more. I don’t deny I like cooking. I love baking. It’s shaped me. Christmas at church, I’m the one who brings the fruitcake that they swoon over. I'm the one who advises the ladies of...

The river, smooth as a land-locked pool glows silver below us, and the snow crunches under our feet as we stroll towards the mid-point of the bridge. So many times, my searches for nature’s gifts have led me here. But never in winter. And never with a woman. Bashful Barry, that’s me. twenty-five years old, my nickname has tracked me since university. Bluebells delicately border this riverbank in springtime. Today, snow, s...

With whispers of cornets leaves shaking from trees ticklish poems of Autumn falling in a gentle breeze of dawn's twilight as if a colorful rainbow holding hands with nature listening to wind chimes as they dance the coquette with whispers of cornets

With no breeze, the glassy lake reflected winter back on itself. Though, in that chilling mirror, the bare trees were even better defined, seemingly less shrouded in mist. That was so very different from the previous time Selene had hiked to the isolated tarn. Back then, a spring breeze rustling through the budding trees had whitecaps lapping against the shore. Warmed by navigating the overgrown path up to the tarn, they’...

It is just a snowflake they tell me. But to me, he is everything. He is my start and my beginning, my alpha and omega, my exodus and my stage left standing ovation. No, I know it doesn’t make sense to you. If you’re like everyone else, you think I’m delusional. You think I am nuts, unwell, crazy, whatever word you use that you think won’t hurt my feelings, or will make me look at my feelings and change my behavior. I have...

“Damn!” I was driving home from Ottawa University when the car ahead of me fishtailed, then slid off the icy road and disappeared down the shoulder towards the trees. I pulled my foot off the gas, pumped the brakes, and finally came to a stop. Jumping out of the car, I ran back through the driving snow to the skid marks, which were already starting to fill in. I slithered awkwardly down the slope and to the tree where the...

In an instant, without warning, a feeling of unrelenting suffocation drops in the pit of my stomach. An intense twisting and turning, swirling like a category five hurricane. My breath shortened, gasping, looking for a means of escaping this internal agony. My head aching, pounding, pulsing like an underground rave of unwanted thoughts. To what extent do I deserve this punishment? You may question my morals or ethics, a m...

APRIL 1918 Loose soil, mud and clay, dropped from his head and face as he raised his shoulders and chest. Legs still buried, he struggled to free them. Dirt-blurred eyes viewed devastation. Slowly, ears reached beyond a ghostly silence, to take in harsh distant explosive noise. Clearing vision saw distant flashes. His mind would not tell him where he was, why he was half-buried, what had happened. A bare arm lay close to...

Rain rattled on his large black umbrella, as Mark Dexter leaned over the promenade wall. It had pelted down non-stop since early that Sunday morning and looked set in for the day, accompanied by a gusty breeze. Below him, the sand was hardened all the way to the seawall. Now, the exceptional tide had receded to reveal normally unseen rocks and bladder rack seaweed that were further testament to how heavy the tide had been...

Yorke Millen sat back and viewed the letter on the desk in front of him. How, in the present circumstances, was he going to manage the next few months as temporary head teacher? Being deputy head was fair enough, the buck didn't stop with you. But now, he was standing in for Gordon Rafter, the actual head, who had suffered a heart attack just over a month earlier, and school problems were multiplying. He knew he could man...

A bright, warm May afternoon, and 79-year-old Jack Turnby stood on his drive viewing his 2002 Toyota, contemplating whether he might outlive this scarred vehicle. Purchasing a newer model had much appeal. His imminent rebellion against the so-called ‘care’ of his two darling, married daughters stemmed from many things, but each had expressed their doubts about this potential purchase.. “I know you can afford it, Dad,” Mel...

Her story. She knew their time together would be brief, she knew he would one day join the evanescent group of lovers that had once visited her life, she knew he would give all of himself in the spiraling madness of orgasm and take it all away once this was over. She knew all this beforehand and yet she went into it wholeheartedly, eagerly, challenging herself to emerge unscarred. He had been like tropical rain, barely gi...