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…breathe deeply and often…

  • Don’t Tell Mom.

    “Don’t tell Mom,” I said. “She’s pregnant.” he said right in front of Mom. He pointed to me. “He did that on purpose too. If he had kept his mouth shut you wouldn’t be here. Neither one of you would. Your dad saved your lives. You can give him credit for that.”  If he had…

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  • Peace Escaped

    Peace escaped.  Bound to sadness and pain.  Even the doves that brought peace and tranquility had given up hope and moved on. There were other souls to save, and time was of essence. There was only so much with which a human could cope, a wreath of laurel leaves and  branches, another burden to bear…

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  • My Commandments

    My personal commandments are not religious, but they have a spiritual ring to them, I suppose. They are today’s commandments. I may change my mind somewhere down the road. I know they would have been different before I had children. The crone is evolving,       5.   Be creative. Make life interesting.       6.   Smile more.…

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  • Believe it or not, the eighty year old cash register on the hutch still worked. Yeah, it needed cleaning up and oiled real good, but the buttons pushed down and the metal tabs inside the windows popped up to tell you how much it was going to cost, up to ten dollars. The barbershop didn’t…

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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…

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

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  • 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…

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  • 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

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  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • Poor Ophelia

    Poor Ophelia.  Honor the birds that sing for you Listen for their songs Delight in their music If you can If you can Damn you, Hamlet, the twin that didn’t live  ruined everything. Daddy won’t ever be right again.  And there’s no room for you, is there, little girl? Mad’s triple talk. Are you out… Read more

  • Grown Up

    The first time I ever felt like a grown up was on the Monday before the surgeon told me the boys were coming Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. “Not to worry,” said the husband, “our lifestyle won’t change much.” The baby beds hadn’t been bought, the nursery hadn’t been painted. He said he’d see to that. … Read more

  • Being Prompt

    Being Prompt “You’re early,” “You were here first, and it doesn’t start for another hour,” said AJ. “So, what are you doing here now? Everything’s been done. They’ve got people for everything,” “I like to fine tune the space’s vibe. Play some music maybe, get the ambiance going in the right direction. Tune the energy… Read more

  • If I Didn’t Live Here..

    If I Didn’t Live Here If I didn’t live here I might as well live in a fishing village in Scotland. I did in a past life and worked in a clock shop, and wore burlap, even my shoes were burlap. I lived above the shop, right on the sea wall. My job was to… Read more

  • Feral UFO

    “It rose up from the Earth like a feral UFO. I swear,” “You’re just aggravated that you had to get up early. You wanted to sleep late, and don’t pour anything but distilled water on my amaryllis, it will die. I’ve been babying that thing. It’s beautiful, and I want it to stay that way. … Read more

  • Ghost Cat

    Aaron felt something wrap around his leg, and he jumped. Read more

  • Don’t Tell Mom.

    “Don’t tell Mom,” I said. “She’s pregnant.” he said right in front of Mom. He pointed to me. “He did that on purpose too. If he had kept his mouth shut you wouldn’t be here. Neither one of you would. Your dad saved your lives. You can give him credit for that.”  If he had…

    Read more

  • Peace Escaped

    Peace escaped.  Bound to sadness and pain.  Even the doves that brought peace and tranquility had given up hope and moved on. There were other souls to save, and time was of essence. There was only so much with which a human could cope, a wreath of laurel leaves and  branches, another burden to bear…

    Read more

  • My Commandments

    My personal commandments are not religious, but they have a spiritual ring to them, I suppose. They are today’s commandments. I may change my mind somewhere down the road. I know they would have been different before I had children. The crone is evolving,       5.   Be creative. Make life interesting.       6.   Smile more.…

    Read more

  • Believe it or not, the eighty year old cash register on the hutch still worked. Yeah, it needed cleaning up and oiled real good, but the buttons pushed down and the metal tabs inside the windows popped up to tell you how much it was going to cost, up to ten dollars. The barbershop didn’t…

    Read more

  • 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” a Quirky Flash Fiction Piece by Devonne Brown Published in Chewers and Masticadores, April 29, 2025

    Read more

  • 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

  • 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


  • Mom’s Gravy

    Image generated with AI. The house smelled like breakfast. The sausage left a little grease in the pan, but it was pungent and spicy enough to make gravy. Mom added a little butter and the sweet nutty smell peppered the air, then she mixed in flour, enough to soak up the grease and butter to…

  • The Owner

    “It’s never been about what you can’t do, it’s about what you won’t do,” said Jack at the vending machine. He was buying a Snickers bar. “You’re very capable, but if you don’t want to do something, it just doesn’t happen.” He completed his purchase. “Is that a compliment or a criticism?” asked Maggie. She…

  • The Cad

    He looked at her over his arm, wondering what he could get from her. He had good looks and knew how to use them on marginally pretty women. She was smart but not a handsome woman. In a crowd, she blended in, fitted in, disappeared. She’d be perfect. He would make her laugh, feel special,…

  • Superpower: Shapeshifter

    I am still in awe and disbelief. I changed in the span of five minutes one December morning.  I left home one day as a single human being and returned as a mama possum with two babies hanging in my fur. It was just going to be that way.  I became a Shapeshifter. I had…

  • Bellview Baptist Church

    When the Bellview choir sang the old gospel spiritual, it was so powerful it blistered the paint on the walls, Sister Eloise sang with such feeling. When she cut loose on I’ll Fly Away the top of the sanctuary lifted a good six inches up off the walls of the building. The whole house of…