Charlotte Hale hated that she had to gather wild berries. It wasn’t that gathering wild berries was hard. It was that gathering them was not hard and at sixteen, she felt like it was demeaning. Her eight-year-old stepbrother, Albert, was perfectly capable of the task. So she could not, for the life of her, understand why she had to be the one to gather stupid frickin’ wild berries. “I need them for the salad, Char,” her m...

‘What a view.’ Felix never imagined that thought would ever cross his mind while looking down from a Ferris Wheel, probably because he had always kept his eyes shut. Earlier, the yin and yang of excitement and trepidation had pulled at him when he and his dad arrived at the summer carnival. Like any boy, he loved the atmosphere, essentially a kid’s version of Nirvana: the lights, the sideshows, the games, the rides, the j...

Sitting down with a group of children in the shade, on a very hot day, I was reading a story with them about farm animals. After the story was finished we played the "what sound does this animal make?" game. We went through the usual the dog goes woof; the cat goes meow, the sheep goes baa when I asked them what sound does a cow make. All the children make very loud mooing noises, and then we laugh at how funny and silly...

I noticed the hole today. It’s been there awhile; I just finally really saw it.It’s really deep! I dropped some rocks but never heard a sound, not even clatter off the sides.It’s pitch black; sort sucks up any light that tries to penetrate. Like a Black Hole. Just a big, black, sucking, empty, with harsh, jagged edges, Hole.It looks like a sink hole, no pushed up rim. No “Hand-Of-God” strike from above, just fell away int...

Dad was a very special person to me. Here are a couple of special stories about Dad that tell you about our relationship. The first story is one set in the deep snows of a spring blizzard. We had about 4 foot of snow on the level with more in drifts. After the snow had stopped, Dad and Granddad turned to caring for the livestock. The cattle were fine as they were in along the meadows and in reach of hay. However, the wint...

Bruno was on his deathbed. He’d lived a good long life, closing in on eighty-four years old. The Salerno family, from south Philly, gathered around: Mom, dad, son, and daughter. Mom could barely contain herself. She placed her hand on her loved ones’ brow, sobbing uncontrollably. Bruno turned his head towards her. He struggled to lift it up, inching closer, as if to tell her something, maybe for the last time. His mouth o...

"No candy." She glares at me, her nostrils flaring with every breath, fists clenched so tightly she’ll have fingernail marks on her palms. I'm watching an impending meltdown. Its cause? Red licorice twists, and my refusal to count them as a dinner component. "RedVines and tortellini" — her impromptu addition to our grocery list — amuses me, but the rules have to be enforced regardless. It won’t be easy. A child with autis...

She really hated the holidays, as she wandered and pondered why? Her mind drifts to the celebrations, as she comes to realize."It is for him that I live the way I do. For him tonight are my memories, for him are these words, with a knot in my throat as I cry."Then life came crashing to her once again, tonight she was filled with memories and her heart bleeds. Many years ago on this wonderful night, she said "You can let g...

(First verse) I never understood your reasoning to make me feel worthless I never understood what went through your mind every time you weren't there  Did you ever stop and think before you acted See how this would have affected me (Chorus)  Why don't you see what you put me through Why don't you see when I stand here and cry Why don't you see everything I go through Oh, I forgot it because you don't care (Second verse) ...

I came to live with this family in 1988, when they moved across the country, leaving family and friends behind in search of a new beginning and a better life. I was already here in California, waiting for a new home and family to watch over. They arrived here on New Year's Day into a motel where they lived for six weeks while their new house became ready for them. To become familiar with where they lived, they ventured ou...

It's been about eight years,Since you passed away,Although we never knew each other,I think about you every day,I remember the first time I got locked up,You said "boy that ain't the way",I'm sorry I'm not the son,You wanted me to be,Although you never said it,I know your disappointed in me,I wish we had more time together,But mom kept us apart,She made me believe some awful things,She lied right from the start,Since you...

The Eucalyptus trees in California. Living in Northern California is a nice thing most of the time. It seems to be a very different state when compared to Southern California and the Sacramento area. People here live a laid-back life and are more liberal. One thing that used to upset me when I first lived here in 1967 was the plethora of Eucalyptus trees. They smell nice and are tall, but the sap, leaves and bark are a nu...

My Old BootsMy 'monkey boots' when I was growing upwere like two of my own best friends. Hardly a day did we spend apart,wherever we'd walk or wend.Two rugged bits of cobbled leatherwith scuffed up toes and laces,with cardboard insidefrom the wear of the slide,on the ice or the gravelly tracesIt's with a sad heartwhen dad gave a startas he saw the state of my boots.He packed me off to townwith two worn half-crownsto buy n...

Bath and Body Works As the evening sky turns into the moonless night sky, Bregan hides in the back of her closet, her only escape from her abusive father. She hears him open the refrigerator door, pulling out a can of beer. She knows what is coming next which only makes her hide deeper in her closet. Bregan presses herself as far back and close to the wall as humanly possible knowing that nothing can hide her from her fat...

I'll never be the perfect girl, Never be the one to get straight A's Never the one to go and go until I'm defeated I guess I should be sorry, But I can't say that I am, I'm doing my absolute best, Why can't you see that? I'm tired, my feet are dragging on the ground I'm worn, too many... too many emotions, grades, words, thoughts, things to-do... too much... too much of you. I'm sorry, sorry I can't take all this, sorry I...