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Knife wounds were rare with pancakes and waffles, but twin boys made anything possible.
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Like a crystal ball it held secrets, but another puff took another tuft.
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I had surmised that Shakespeare was no angel.
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“No folks, that’s what’s called a wild rumor, fiction, not true.
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No pomp, no circumstance. I guess I could play solitaire.
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I have I try to figure out who’s reading. I like to imagine my sister reading an essay I wrote about her.
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Captain’s Log: Stardate, A Day at the Beach Long Ago
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Those horns just sprouted because of you.
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A whistle blew, splash! Chaos.
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Familiar Strangers
“Do I know you?” they both asked simultaneously, then laughed. Susan stepped backwards two steps. That laugh of his was more familiar than his face and all the warmth and funny drained out of it. She didn’t like the way she felt at all. She held a smile on her face. Maybe it wasn’t him.… Read more
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The Appointment
***Warning! Trigger warnings. Contains thoughts of suicide and mental illness. Possible School Shootings. “Do suicide hotlines keep a record of who calls when and why?” Bob talked suicide over with the shrink at his last appointment. “Probably,” she was taking fast notes on the computer as well as on the notepad beside her. Her soda… Read more
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Remembering Elouise on Her Birthday
Elouise, tall and elegant, shrank to five foot nothing by the time she died at seventy-seven. Her youngest daughter, Dagmar, stayed all night with her the day before she died and dreamed of Grandma, Elouise’s mom, that night. She called me that morning to tell me all about it. “I dreamed about Grandma last night,”… Read more
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Fin
The sequel to Norris Tales is written, twenty-five thousand, one hundred nine words. Norris Lives. It’s a book of short stories and vignettes about Norris, the seventeen year old cat that I’ve fought and lived with for a long time. Hey, this is a big deal. I have two more big deals to go, formatting… Read more
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Some thump
“What the fuck? It’s three a.m. and my kitchen is as nasty now as it was when I fried chicken at noon today,” thought Tess. Something had woken her up out of a sound sleep. Some thump. “What the fuck?” She found the fuck passed out on the couch in the living room. How dare… Read more
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Meteor Shower
The house went dead quiet and the den lights went out. The whirr of the refrigerator stopped. Norris knew something was wrong, same as I did. He asked for cream before the fridge got warm, he understood. I gave him treats instead. Usually these things flickered and came back on within seconds, then everything blinked,… Read more
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Knife wounds were rare with pancakes and waffles, but twin boys made anything possible.
-
Like a crystal ball it held secrets, but another puff took another tuft.
-
I had surmised that Shakespeare was no angel.
-
“No folks, that’s what’s called a wild rumor, fiction, not true.
-
No pomp, no circumstance. I guess I could play solitaire.
-
I have I try to figure out who’s reading. I like to imagine my sister reading an essay I wrote about her.
-
Captain’s Log: Stardate, A Day at the Beach Long Ago
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Those horns just sprouted because of you.
-
A whistle blew, splash! Chaos.
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Unspoken Trophy
“I need an introduction to our class.” So, I was asked to lead an exercise, Off the cuff with no tenor and no bass My chest puffed out ever so slight, so wise. Stood taller, looking people in the eye Relax, lean back, let them complete the why As if not wanting to draw attention Wrote poems with the “I am” intentionsTrying…
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Delight Risk
Either you will fall, or will be taught to fly.
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High School Gossip
“I heard they broke up and Tom was going to ask Janeen to the prom,” Becky announced it in Social Studies class. “Betty was all upset about it in English this morning. She was so mad she was crying. I’d hate to be Janeen,” “How do you know that’s why Betty was so mad and…
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Anticipation
Anticipation, sweaty palms shaking; Jittery, bouncing a foot on the floor Trembling legs crossing, uncrossing, twitching Recheck your hair in a makeup mirror Peek out the window, hover by the door Pace — hide your face behind your hands, cover Hover again, then sit quivering A pounding heart, lack of concentration Glances at the clock,…
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Company
Tonight. I am company. I tread lightly in my extended family’s home. I am a guest. I am on good behavior. I tell and listen to the telling from children with wide ears, eyes, and smiles. I am more polite than usual. I have helped the eldest son get an A on an English paper,…
Devonne Brown 