Most read stories

Grunion Fishing

17471747 views77 comments77 favs

As spilled on a sandy Corona del Mar beach/both in moonlight and starlight so lovely/and strangely sad as if receding still

The Coach

17471747 views1414 comments77 favs

We sat in the weight room. The coach walked in with his clipboard and stood until we were quiet.

Haiku Haiku, Fattened Feral Kittens, Hobgoblin Test

17471747 views1212 comments1111 favs

and watch the bird play and squirrel play/ and the twitching of cottontail noses

Dump like no other.

17471747 views11 comment22 favs

Their dump was like no other in the country. It was bigger than the rest. And, unlike their innumerable competitors, this dump—which sat packed with trash on the surf of an ocean—was organized with care.The Elks took pride in their dump. Three…

Blind Observer.

17471747 views22 comments22 favs

I sat there, observing the city people. Frowns upon all our faces. The rain moistened my heart and journal. A blind family; a trio. They used their wands to lead the way.Their faces read joy but, most importantly, satisfaction.My envy filled the damp page.

Boomer Tunes Pop Quiz

17471747 views1010 comments66 favs

If you're a Boomer, your brain is teaming with decades-old Pop tunes that you just can't forget. The real reason you can never remember where you put your keys? Too many of your brain cells are clinging to every last lyric to “Fire and Rain,” “Free…

Milo

17471747 views44 comments44 favs

I call him a Staffordshire terrier. You call him a pit bull. Some people say he's lovable. Other people say he'll bite your face off without thinking too hard.

Travis & Jared

17471747 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").

Just Right

17471747 views11 comment00 favs

While the tea was steeping, Ms. Darcy unwrapped the package. The book was lovely. It had nice heavy paper and the print was a good size for reading. The cover was glossy and not too showy, and Ms. Darcy thought it would look just right on her shelf.

The Rite and Wrong of Passage

17471747 views33 comments00 favs

My sadistic doctor was the only one laughing . Yes sir, I was officially, cordially, confirmed to meet that Irish/ Russian fellow…Colon Oscopy.

Van Gogh: Sidewalk Cafe at Night

17471747 views22 comments00 favs

The heart of those stars is a dab of yellow light. The darkness of the blue night appears so deep because the downward strokes of the actual sky are interspersed with a violet that’s almost black,

That's It

17471747 views22 comments22 favs

I am heading to work. It's early and Clare is still asleep. When I hit the breezeway I realize that I forgot my keys. I walk back into the house and start rustling through the junk on the table by the door. After a moment I sense someone standing behind me and…

42 Mirrors

17471747 views22 comments22 favs

What becomes the identity of a woman who has been denied all her rights and thrown into a mental institution?

December Can Feel Like April Here

17471747 views1919 comments1111 favs

Today the isobars are far apart.

The Tale Of Brave Grinelda

17461746 views11 comment11 fav

Once upon a time in the days of old There lived a poor tailor who- I am told- Did brag that his daughter Spun straw into gold!

Parallels

17461746 views33 comments33 favs

“I honestly can't believe how much you eat, honey.”, Lenora said as I put down the fork after gorging myself on breakfast. Twelve pancakes, four eggs, two cups of coffee, a glass of milk, and half a pound of bacon had passed through my lips this morning. …

deflated

17461746 views11 comment11 fav

writing because it's the only drug i havesick on sadnessas the weight of the moment crumbling around me comes down some sweet second inspires…

Sandyfall

17461746 views1313 comments66 favs

Before Sandy, there was hype of Sandy. On the third day of hype, the broadcasters laughed. Then B-O-O-M, lights out, houses flooded, and Obama was re-elected.

Lost

17461746 views99 comments88 favs

“It’s lost. Lost and gone. Forever. My love for you. I’m sorry.”

Bliss

17461746 views1717 comments1111 favs

When he got out of sick bay, they moved him into a room with three other alkies. A kid, a tree trimmer, and a Catholic priest.

Orpheus Today

17461746 views33 comments33 favs

It is only seven-thirty but the night is full, gloom seizing Highway 66. There is a carcass on the road, maybe a human, slumped next to an empty ice cream truck. Several stars hang up in the East, drunken constellations scrambling to find meaning.

This Cab Goes Out To The Styx

17461746 views88 comments55 favs

“Hey, Buddy,” he says finally, “you were supposed to make a right back there”, and I can see his eyes flash as he reads my ID card on the dash...

Zimmerland

17461746 views22 comments22 favs

He was just walking along, making sure that no white, Hispanic, Native American or Asian people were doing anything illegal when he noticed the young black man walking down the street. He hadn't meant to.

Location

17461746 views66 comments44 favs

A sunrise over the dark Atlantic, on a perfect beach day, tasting of salt and warmth and powdered sugar; of last, desperate kisses of youth, still shivering from delicious night, is beautiful.A sunrise over the dark ruins of Syria, on hot dusted stones, tasting of lament…

Amtrak

17461746 views77 comments22 favs

She had liked her new husband's sternness, and the way he ran his hands over her body, noticed every inch of it, made her feel not invisible.He traveled during the week, wore cufflinks, worked out in hotel gyms. On the weekends, they redecorated her house and tried to…

Small Talk

17461746 views66 comments22 favs

Her fingers scampered over the table, practicing the deft stitching of the basilar artery.

Popcorn Tigers

17461746 views11 comment11 fav

The last row of furniture is all black leather. In unison the tigers hop onto a couch a piece, sit calmly on their haunches, and reach for remote controls buried in the cushions. Roaring, they paw at the remotes.

A Bitter And Unseasoned Business Attorney Makes His Case That "Crazy Heart" Is The Perfectly Nasty Ending

17461746 views44 comments11 fav

In closing, Your Honor:After the interview Bad Blake, a/k/a "Otis" takes "Miss" Jane Craddock back to his hotel, ties her up, and gives her a Cleveland Steamer. For reference, please refer to my Brief, Exhibit A, showing a thespian named Ronald Jeremy…

Too Late

17461746 views99 comments66 favs

He brought me kisses from New York.

A Girl and Her Trees

17461746 views1010 comments66 favs

The trees would answer with a creak and a crackle. Fall was near, a rotten apple.