A Healing Dream

He looks up when he hears her footfalls coming down the aisle. She reaches the front of the seating area, opens the short, half-door and steps into the orchestra pit with a stoic face. She looks the same as always: wildly flyaway curls, short skirt with leggings and long top and cardigan, all of it …

Writing Contest Rd 2

When the assignments came out for Round 2 of the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Contest 2020 I was not really excited about the genre selection. As I am in the same group, number 44, the parameters were: Genre - Historic Fiction;  Setting - Fort;  Prop - Scissors This took some time and at first seeing my …

Compassion

A lonely frontier's woman helps another woman in need. She stopped at the porch baluster, balanced the stack of tin plates and swiped her forehead with her sleeve. The day was sweltering. The men had drunk their Arbuckle’s, ate mush and milk. Nearly all left camp for the fields, to check property or traps, to …

You? You want to be a writer?

Just what are you going to write about? You don’t do anything special. You’re not important. You don’t play sports, Or any kind of music... Hah, except the radio. You have no talents. You don’t dance, well not any good anyway. You’re only worthy of laughter. You’ve never been anywhere but To school and home. …

CD’s Event and Journalism Background

From 2009 to 2015, I worked as the Fraternal Director for a Fraternal Benefits Society. Most will ask, what does that mean? In essence, I ran the non-profit side of a Fraternal Life Insurance Company, a 501(c)8 non-profit designation, organized for the benefit of their members/policyholders. These types of firms are very old, most of …

Ripe, sweet and inviting.

So ripe and sweet, I feel the juice sliding down my bottom lip and chin. I love mangoes! I can’t remember the last time I had one. Apples, they’re easier to come by. Same with oranges, well the cheaper ones with the thicker skin, they stay fresher longer, can travel better. But mangoes are delicate. …

Under the Pier

This version was submitted for the NYCMidnight Flash Fiction Writing Contest on 7-12-20, with a total 994 words. Synopsis: After getting caught stealing food, a homeless girl finds an underwater mystery. Mangoes! It’s been so long since I had one. Apples and oranges are easier to find, same with bananas. Those fruits travel better, but …

I heard about a writing contest.

I had never entered one before, a writing contest that is. Not any type of writing contest. I found out about it on Facebook, of all places... Tangent! Oh, I’m sorry. When I was in grade school I wrote a poem about the Challenger. I got an award from the county school board. Obviously, this …

Sleep Comes Fitfully

One side proppedpillows fluffed.My body, adjustingself soothing,sliding my breathsettling. My jaw feels tight,awake again. Shift.Repeat.Relax, breathe deep.The fan feels so gooduntil it doesn’t. Again,a deep breatha long sigh, fix the sheetadjust the pillows.Stretch my jaw,force a yawn,breathing measuredslowly in and out.Relaxed? Dammit!I was so tired,empty and exhausteddownstairs.Was yawning.Whining, I stop. Relax, breathe deep.Repeat.Try the other …

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Even as I come to a stop, hearing her calling after me, I know it. I shouldn’t have stopped. The first “wait” got my attention; the purpose of my stride caught up, and I slowed. She knew she had me. The second “wait” brought me about to face her. The final “wait,” sealed it. She …