Most discussed stories

Travis & Jared

17121712 views11 comment00 favs

“Now I see clearly my whole life is pointed in one direction — there never has been any choice for me (Travis Bickle, "Taxi Driver").

No Such Thing

12921292 views11 comment11 fav

People could disappear in the Pine Barrens and never be seen again. Either by their own choice or when someone didn’t want the body found. John Dance knew that was just a part of life you had to accept and couldn’t change.

Disappearing

12641264 views11 comment00 favs

They say nothing, but instead watch the birds and people hovering. Every day is an echo of the one before, and the weight of waiting has begun to show itself in the stature of the tiny man and his little old wife. …

Left Chest Pocket

14491449 views11 comment00 favs

no entrance fee

Break Time in the Army Corps of Engineers Mascot Lounge

24322432 views11 comment22 favs

The Army Corps of Engineers spent $92,000 in federal stimulus money on costumes for mascots such as Bobber the Water Safety Dog.

The Last Game

13181318 views11 comment11 fav

My kid chased the umpire back to his crappy Honda Civic and flipped it over–at the age of 10! That's what steroids can do for you.

On Advertising

11211121 views11 comment11 fav

As you can see, egotism forms at a young age for people who end up in this industry.

Olive Green

15821582 views11 comment11 fav

Five years ago—or maybe ten—I clipped an article containing a quote that has haunted and inspired me ever since, and tacked it to my wall. Describing the success of diplomats from nearly ninety nations to convene in Oslo, Norway, and agree on the wording

The Prompter

13271327 views11 comment11 fav

Here is a not remembering

Ode to Tomorrow

11521152 views11 comment00 favs

If luscious lips lusted for love lost, they wouldn't be mine.

The Five Stages of Editing

22952295 views11 comment00 favs

The recent release of my debut novel alt.punk was extraordinarily exciting; however, maturing the novel from first draft to publication was not without editing pains. Similar to the Kübler-Ross theory, I progressed through what I refer to as the “five sta

Juicy | In the Umbra

13401340 views11 comment11 fav

He licks his lips and mouths the air, salivating, unashamed of his propensity for the round, pink grapefruit, the almost egg-shaped oranges, the firm, juicy tangerines.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, 1

21512151 views11 comment11 fav

My wife and I were sitting at the bar at Brennan’s down on 4th Street one night, drinking too much without eating. Geary had convinced us to come down there with him, for two reasons. One, to give us the lowdown on where to stay and what to do in New Yo

Attention, Stargazers

15751575 views11 comment11 fav

And in the end we're crouched over like children / sifting through this tide-pool

Chicken

17181718 views11 comment11 fav

Puddles—not his real name, as you’ve probably gathered, but the kind of nickname a fat kid got tagged with in our neighborhood—kept stopping short, picking underwear out of his ass or taking a breather. This had the unfortunate byproduct of my crashing in

Christmas Potluck

12701270 views11 comment11 fav

"I see how little kids might find you creepy," she says between red velvet bites...

The Boy in the Sandwich (novel excerpt - children's)

23182318 views11 comment00 favs

I was getting ready to eat a thick peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich when a blue spider pushed up a corner of the bread from the inside and said, "Don't chomp, don't chew! We're in here, we're having a good time, and we don't feel like being eaten.

In The Middle of the Night

5454 views11 comment00 favs

The kiss is long, excitement builds, her surrender incremental, the seduction approaches a shattering peak... and you awake to find yourself tonguing a wet spot on your pillow.Back to sleep, and you are flying without wings, sharing face time with old heroes and role…

THANKS FOR TRYING TO RUIN MY DAY!

16191619 views11 comment00 favs

If you work with the public, you're stressed. Unreasonable customers. Demanding bosses. Reduced staffing. I love my job, but the workload is tough and getting tougher. What can we do to keep our spirits up?Play Customer Appreciation! It's simple. Assign a point value…

Grandfather Clock

14501450 views11 comment11 fav

On a cold November afternoon I stood in the foyer of Sampson and Sons funeral home and paced silently back and forth across the purple carpet. They have that deep pile and rich color of carpeting that you only really see in a small town…

Untitled

16991699 views11 comment00 favs

What else, H, is there to say about heartbreak? What else could it be but our hands, cupped as if holding water against our chests, then broken into halves. Or the picture of this one, pretending to load a gun. Or this one, soaked in smoke—asking for

Two Brothers

14571457 views11 comment11 fav

They run nonstop for weeks. Between traffic stalled cars. Down forgotten subways tunnels drilled long ago in the cold earth. Past burning sugarcane fields.

Cleavage Cont.

16881688 views11 comment00 favs

"My tits, " she instructed "aren't for public consumption".Everything was actually muffled and my ears began to bleed because of how progressively louder the thumping was in the center of my chest. Stacy decided to emphasize her point of disliking the objectification…

Unspoken

15161516 views11 comment00 favs

I'm waiting for your voice. My trembling hand is so damp the phone could slip from my fragile grasp at any moment. Each ring burns in my ear and makes the washing machine in my stomach tumble faster and faster. After three rings, or it could be four, or forty, I hear…

the plight continues

11481148 views11 comment00 favs

but at least I wasn't drinking as much anymore.

Age is Relativity

16951695 views11 comment00 favs

Albert Einstein was probably the genius of our age. Joe Biden is a close second, yet Einstein not only had better hair but a keener knack to think of things that no one else could, or would, or would ever want to, since if they did, their brain would shockingly combust in a…

Hold on

13941394 views11 comment22 favs

I slept and it was pleasant. Then there was the kiss, and it was hot. Later you turned away, and all was November chill. Now there are touches, caresses and shouts, Marvelous nights flavored with favors bestowed, and blackened days,…

True Lu

17841784 views11 comment00 favs

Lu peeked at his cards again. They were still jacks, and they still looked mighty nice.

My Morning Song is Better than Yours

19281928 views11 comment22 favs

And I just want to say that my morning song is better than yours. I want you to hear it buzzing in me like an old radiator. I want you to do what you’ve done before. To press your ear against the skin and listen for the static.

The Widow's Morning

19961996 views11 comment11 fav

Whispers flew, like wild darts across the room. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. Right then, it wasn’t my job to figure things out; it was my job to cry.