No one lets you in on the secret that when a loved dies, you have to relive it with each retelling. At this point, I’ve detached the meaning from it all. Now just a bedtime story I never forget to tell myself. Me, an ongoing audience of one.… more
Tag Archives: Grief
A Mouthful of Cherry Pie
FLASH FICTION by Kayleigh KittWhen they arrived, it was more like a scene from Halloween as opposed to Christmas. The broken reindeer looked forlorn on the lawn, almost as melancholy as the faerie lights, half dangling from the gutter. However, the abject look on Dan’s face as he opened the door quickly turned to relief. The whispers of, “It’s bad, really bad.” … more
Alone with the Stars
FICTION by Corey VillasHe sat on the curb, the gash in his cheek stinging and pulsating. Blood trickled down his face into the scruffy grey beard along his jaw. His head still spinning, unsure sure if it was from the punch that had laid him out or all the Jim Beam. He watched his breath as he exhaled, looked up and noticed the stars shining brightly. He felt small in that moment. Alone, yet not as alone as usual.… more
Shooting at Hurricanes
FICTION by Mario Aliberto IIIPop-Pop never talked about how the person you are when you ship off isn’t the person you are when you ship back. How a war story is only a story if it didn’t happen to you.… more
People Running to Places
CREATIVE NONFICTION by Mileva AnastasiadouThe last time I saw you, I didn’t know I’d miss who I was before the last time I saw you.… more
Acoustics of Loss
CREATIVE NONFICTION by S.E. DanielsNo whisper goes unheard. Not the apologetic late arrival nor the chattering of children. We fidget in creaks. We remove and replace hymnals in scrapes and thunks. We stumble down pews with muttered condolences.… more
A Good Night
FICTION by Gurmeet PhiloraNeil watches the train cars speed past. Empty seats lit in garish white fluorescent lights. Then he sees it. Or thinks he sees it. A fight. Fifteen, twenty men in a carriage. Violent action passing almost too quickly to register. The train is gone.… more
Birthday Boy
FICTION by Nathan Cover…And a channel opened between her and me, but shit I mean to tell you I was like holding my breath as I’m cutting and she’s telling me about her and Brian and if I hadn’t been cutting her hair I would have been crying so hard, but I knew if I let it out I wouldn’t be able to finish and the channel would close…… more
I Hope You Know I Love You, Even Though
FICTION by Kim Magowan…even though you like to win; even though you tricked me, telling me it would just be the two of us, but when we got to the restaurant, Georgia was there (and though it was the first time I ever saw her, I recognized her, her smile as sharp as a hook)…… more
We’re The Ones
FICTION by Al KratzTrue grit ain’t as easy as it looks, he said. You’ve got to get dirty if you want to live. … more
