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…breathe deeply and often…

  • The Dunce Cap

    “What do you mean you don’t know? I just told you. Just now,” he said. Mr. Ross was ever so cross. He looked as if he were going to implode. Jim Bob didn’t care if Mr. Ross was cross. He didn’t care what he had said. All he wanted were the answers questions so he…

    Read more

  • The Expedition

    The expedition would have led us straight to Piccadilly Circus in London, had it not been cancelled due to the protests surrounding the tube and other forms of public transport. It was nigh on impossible to participate in the frivolity Jeanie had planned for today. Her scheduled massage with Nigel was out of the question.…

    Read more

  • Whisper

    Eyes slashed around the dim room.candles flickered,curtains breathed in and out,long drawn out breaths, space, the air between words when the words are locked in boxes.And the keys are around the dragon’s neck. Impossible, improbable, unlikely to get a straight story Not easy, not willing-Probably under duressWill the real tale ever come out?let loose a…

    Read more

  • The Open Book

    “Don’t open that,” but the words came too late. Glass fell to the floor and shattered when he lifted the glass of the barrister bookcase. “I told you not to do that, didn’t I?” Sophie was already bending over, picking shards up from the floor. “Help me with this mess, will you?” Now that the…

    Read more

  • Someplace Warm

    “I’ve packed all the snacks,” said Celia. “I forgot the wine,” said Doug, “Can we stop at Kroger?”  “Is it even open yet? It’s 6:30 in the morning.” Janet was aggravated. “I knew somebody would forget something. I got  really great charcuterie boards to go with the wine for tonight and tomorrow to go with…

    Read more

  • Escape

    “Get out,” her brain screamed inside her head and  her arms tingled, and her knees wobbled. She looked for the exit. The clock ticked. There were twenty five people between her and the door. Forty-five minutes between her and the end of the session. The room was silent save for the shuffle of the occasional…

    Read more

  • When the Ship Lifts

    Artwork by Charles Jupiter Hamilton It took a long time to get here, to this place of the ordinary. What had to be figured out was what was commonplace. What could be tolerated, what she wanted to confront. She learned to pick the battles. Some fell away, some had to be fought. Some she lost,…

    Read more

  • When Life Gets Weird

    All women in their time play all the parts. When time’s struggle hacks away at the core of motherhood,  she blooms Slices of her incognito souls fall around her. She’s protected her child with her promises  Surefooted he stands on her love and covers his head,  With the hat of awareness. The recognition that Her…

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  • Mona

    Like most things, Mona ignored the timer, and kept reading her book. She was approaching the climax of a scene, she needed to see the outcome of the turning point, wanted to watch the table turn, she couldn’t put the pages down just yet. Nothing was on fire. She read on. Of course the protagonist…

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  • Luxuries of Life

    Time, health, a calm mind, slow mornings, the ability to travel, a home I love, and close relationships, is there more to life that I could need?  How much time is granted to me? How much time do I need? Is it enough? I think so. I believe it will be enough to show the…

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  • Idle Hands

    “Keep your hands busy and the hours will pass like minutes,” she said while she pulled the  needle up through the fabric. “Don’t let your mind dwell on the world around you. Focus inside yourself. Focus on that which you create. The blanket with the yarn, the dress with the fabric, the stories with the… Read more

  • Spiders, Flies, and Coffee

    “Spiders, Flies, and Coffee” a Quirky Flash Fiction Piece by Devonne Brown Published in Chewers and Masticadores, April 29, 2025 Read more

  • Well, you never asked…

    Your eyes filled with tears-Why didn’t you let me help?Well, you never asked.Can I come as well?I’m bouncing from foot to foot.Well, you never asked.Why don’t you join meSwinging arms, walking, skipping?Well, you never asked. Well, you never asked….is a statement about you or me. I could make it all about me, or all about… Read more

  • Longing: 2 Haiku

    Longing: 1 HaikuClosing my eyes andWanting what hasn’t been gainedSmiling wistfullyLonging: 2 HaikuSpending time aloneI rub my hand o’r my heartA weight in my chest Read more

  • Thank you, Mr. Sullivan

    I suppose the Appalachian tradition of giving kids weird names, Stanley Hugo,  Ervin Otto, or even Oral Homer was part and parcel of growing up in the isolation of the hollers. I was the last of the kids to get a holler name before we moved out to the suburbs, I suppose.My brother got stuck… Read more

  • Report Card

    My son is judging me. If he were to give me a report card it would be  how long do I stay awake when I come home from school,  how much time do I spend writing,  how often and well do I cook for him,  how clean do I keep my room, how clean do… Read more

  • The Dunce Cap

    “What do you mean you don’t know? I just told you. Just now,” he said. Mr. Ross was ever so cross. He looked as if he were going to implode. Jim Bob didn’t care if Mr. Ross was cross. He didn’t care what he had said. All he wanted were the answers questions so he…

    Read more

  • The Expedition

    The expedition would have led us straight to Piccadilly Circus in London, had it not been cancelled due to the protests surrounding the tube and other forms of public transport. It was nigh on impossible to participate in the frivolity Jeanie had planned for today. Her scheduled massage with Nigel was out of the question.…

    Read more

  • Whisper

    Eyes slashed around the dim room.candles flickered,curtains breathed in and out,long drawn out breaths, space, the air between words when the words are locked in boxes.And the keys are around the dragon’s neck. Impossible, improbable, unlikely to get a straight story Not easy, not willing-Probably under duressWill the real tale ever come out?let loose a…

    Read more

  • The Open Book

    “Don’t open that,” but the words came too late. Glass fell to the floor and shattered when he lifted the glass of the barrister bookcase. “I told you not to do that, didn’t I?” Sophie was already bending over, picking shards up from the floor. “Help me with this mess, will you?” Now that the…

    Read more

  • Someplace Warm

    “I’ve packed all the snacks,” said Celia. “I forgot the wine,” said Doug, “Can we stop at Kroger?”  “Is it even open yet? It’s 6:30 in the morning.” Janet was aggravated. “I knew somebody would forget something. I got  really great charcuterie boards to go with the wine for tonight and tomorrow to go with…

    Read more

  • Escape

    “Get out,” her brain screamed inside her head and  her arms tingled, and her knees wobbled. She looked for the exit. The clock ticked. There were twenty five people between her and the door. Forty-five minutes between her and the end of the session. The room was silent save for the shuffle of the occasional…

    Read more

  • When the Ship Lifts

    Artwork by Charles Jupiter Hamilton It took a long time to get here, to this place of the ordinary. What had to be figured out was what was commonplace. What could be tolerated, what she wanted to confront. She learned to pick the battles. Some fell away, some had to be fought. Some she lost,…

    Read more

  • When Life Gets Weird

    All women in their time play all the parts. When time’s struggle hacks away at the core of motherhood,  she blooms Slices of her incognito souls fall around her. She’s protected her child with her promises  Surefooted he stands on her love and covers his head,  With the hat of awareness. The recognition that Her…

    Read more

  • Mona

    Like most things, Mona ignored the timer, and kept reading her book. She was approaching the climax of a scene, she needed to see the outcome of the turning point, wanted to watch the table turn, she couldn’t put the pages down just yet. Nothing was on fire. She read on. Of course the protagonist…

    Read more

  • Luxuries of Life

    Time, health, a calm mind, slow mornings, the ability to travel, a home I love, and close relationships, is there more to life that I could need?  How much time is granted to me? How much time do I need? Is it enough? I think so. I believe it will be enough to show the…

    Read more


  • The Dunce Cap

    “What do you mean you don’t know? I just told you. Just now,” he said. Mr. Ross was ever so cross. He looked as if he were going to implode. Jim Bob didn’t care if Mr. Ross was cross. He didn’t care what he had said. All he wanted were the answers questions so he…

  • The Expedition

    The expedition would have led us straight to Piccadilly Circus in London, had it not been cancelled due to the protests surrounding the tube and other forms of public transport. It was nigh on impossible to participate in the frivolity Jeanie had planned for today. Her scheduled massage with Nigel was out of the question.…

  • Whisper

    Eyes slashed around the dim room.candles flickered,curtains breathed in and out,long drawn out breaths, space, the air between words when the words are locked in boxes.And the keys are around the dragon’s neck. Impossible, improbable, unlikely to get a straight story Not easy, not willing-Probably under duressWill the real tale ever come out?let loose a…

  • The Open Book

    “Don’t open that,” but the words came too late. Glass fell to the floor and shattered when he lifted the glass of the barrister bookcase. “I told you not to do that, didn’t I?” Sophie was already bending over, picking shards up from the floor. “Help me with this mess, will you?” Now that the…

  • Someplace Warm

    “I’ve packed all the snacks,” said Celia. “I forgot the wine,” said Doug, “Can we stop at Kroger?”  “Is it even open yet? It’s 6:30 in the morning.” Janet was aggravated. “I knew somebody would forget something. I got  really great charcuterie boards to go with the wine for tonight and tomorrow to go with…