Trifextra by Diane Turner

His nurse: OMG! Check the stairs. He couldn’t have gotten far. He’s crippled and doesn't know what day it is, for god’s sake. Throw the front door lock, Jerome, NOW. Restraints await you, old goat.

His daughter: He’s what? Gone? What do you mean gone? He’s 96 and can’t remember his own name and you people let him wander off unnoticed? Careless imbeciles! If he doesn’t get killed, I’ll sue.

Him: Freedom! The air smells clean out here, and look at the sun. At last, clear of that witch of a nurse and that other nasty woman, claiming to be my daughter. I’m free.

A Captain's Eulogy

A Captain's Eulogy

“De sea...

She 'as been kind an' gracious te our sinful souls. She 'as carried us oot of de strait an' into 'er open waves; she 'asn't led us astray.

Yet, 'er good graces are met wiff a hefty price, lads. She 'as borne away one o'our best; a man wrought by salt an' dirtied wiff duty. She 'as taken 'im from us an' leaves us e'er more dependent upon 'er moods.

"Jim... he were my first mate, my best mate; an' I know he were yers, too.

So, bow yer heads, lads, an' 'member 'im fer 'is duty an' good shot. Observe de rites o' dis wake, an' pray fer Jim's soul; he may be yer savin' grace when ye join 'im an' Davey Jones...

"Bless ye Jim. Res' wiff de sea, an' may God 'ave mercy on yer soul.

Amen.”

By: Renada Styles

A letter of Apology by Renada Styles

It was bliss. Unfathomable ecstasy;

beautiful....

I suppose, though, I owe you an apology; he was yours. But, if you knew how warm, how supple a heart can be...

you would've held it.

A Letter of Apology by C.D. Tolliver

Dear Mr. Charles:

Sorry for the type-Os.  Hopefully, no one will notice it says you “studded a broad”, “majored in Pubic Affairs” and “matricided at State” with a “Bachelor o Farts”.  Or that you’re an “alumna”.

Sincerely apoplectic,

Professional Curriculum Vitae & Resume Services

A Letter of Apology by C.D. Tolliver

Regrettably, your receipt of an acceptance letter was unintentional.

You do not currently meet our entrance criteria, one of which is the ability to afford a first-class attorney.

Please reconsider attending junior college.

Family Holidays

The hot water splashing in the sink couldn’t hide the cacophony of sounds coming from the living room. Only half-hearing the voices of the various cousins and siblings who allowed her to join their family for holidays, Emma let her mind wander back to warm Sacramento Valley evenings and dinners under her mother’s canopy of climbing roses. Absently blowing bubbles with the dish soap bottle, like she did as a teen, she smiled remembering parental growls when the glowing spheres would float into the living room.

A small tear dripped down her left cheek at the memory of her beloved Gram, laughing in the padded chair on the patio. Everyone else sat on wooden benches, as the odor of citrus smoke wafted overhead to deter the stinging insects in that sticky evening heat. Oh, could that woman tell stories. From tales of her homestead origins in pre-1900 Kansas, to serious premonitions before her son and family moved to Pearl Harbor in September of 1941, Emma never ceased to be fascinated by Grandma Hattie’s zest for living. A call from the other room for her to join in the gift exchange, ended her brief tiptoe into past family gatherings. Kids squealing, the tearing of bright paper, brothers arguing politics-all seems normal with the world.

by: E. Clough

Pleasure in Sorrow

Pleasure in Sorrow

The discordant sighs

Of a looming crowd

Gird the cacophony

Of a soul's drumming tears

They smell of salt

And taste of soap

The sting parching the heart;

The flavor scolding the tongue

Like insects

They continue to surround

The poor soul

Suppressed in his woe

Won't they help;

Subdue his rain?

No.

They watch with a buzzard's thousand eyes

Like a plague they feed,

Drinking the tears

To feel the burn,

Reveled they're not their own

By: Renada Styles