Stories tagged children

Hello Cheryl

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“Hello, Cheryl” the voice on the other end of the phone replied. It was strong but raspy, yet quiet and controlled. The fellow sounded like he had a frog in his throat. “How do you know my name?” she asked. “I know a lot of things about y

How to Forget

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Refuse to go to the church service, even though you already missed the funeral. Tell his mother something came up. Call his phone over and over, just to hear his voice, until his mother asks you to stop. Make a recording of his voicemail. Delete it an

Prince Harry Was Naked

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I remember the sound of it- the shatter, the way he'd calm after the impact and begin to beg, in his still child-like voice, slowly regaining control, "Mom, do you still love me? You do, still love me, don't you?"

Paperwork and Fly

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We filled out forms. In a semi-circle of folding chairs, parents were seated, bent to the task of declaring base details of fiscal identity and filling out other blanks. Among them I was distracted because I am a people watcher--my answer to one of the unasked…

Breaking Dawn

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This is where he died, she says to me, and points to the damp pavement. Her hair is wet, and slicked against her neck. The humidity is making everything engulf her. The sleep shorts I bought her last July are loose on her now, but between the rain and

In The Place Between

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We played and had joy. As the seasons changed in that peripheral world, we did not feel it. We only saw the snow a bit, only felt the wind a bit, we were not really in it. We still kept ourselves busy. There was something that I did begin to notice. I cou

Black Children Learn Derivatives

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The white faces of the train look up in an attempt to satisfy presumption, smoothing out any interest into glassy eyed gestures toward looking but lacking the very important quality of sight.

A Christmas Story

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Two days before Christmas 1946, my mother put me on an Illinois Central railroad train at the whistle stop of Neoga, Illinois.

The Silence

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“Time heals all wounds,” they tell me, But it has yet to ease the aching pain That chills my thoughts and heart Unprepared for further torment.

Blueberry Cafe

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When I was five, I wanted a lollipop store, shelves shining with jars, flavors on displayand where I could eat free candy galore I'd sell each pop for ten cents or maybe three fora quarter and tie them in bunches like Sunflower bouquets.When I was…

Static Impairment

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History has never been alive for my forward seeing eyes, only looking towards the future. I never saw the machines of war, soldiers who marched upon peasants, taking down their meager barricades. They took down their small…

The Ravages of War

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History has never been alive for my forward seeing eyes; I only looked towards the future. I never saw the machines of war, soldiers who marched upon the people, taking down their meager barricades. They took down…

Patterns on Time

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I trip on the dimples, pimples, / divots camouflaged in the sand

1964 Dodge 330/slant-a-matic

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We loved riding in that big back seat; it had leather or plastic seats, and we were small enough that our older brother and sister could sit back there with us with plenty of room. There were no seatbelts to hold us down, and that was probably a good thi

Leadership?

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Mere children taken from their beds Are thrust into the ravages of war Fighting for the ideals, desires, greed Of those sociopathic profiteers. Babies, youngsters fight each other At the whim of those who dictate The need to conquer,…