Volume IX

On Sunday, I left the house in Bird Island, Minnesota perhaps for the last time. Two years ago, my grandfather had a stroke. He struggles with daily tasks. He struggles with speaking, recalling words. He struggles with voicing his thoughts, which are clearly there. He struggles with hearing, while that in itself is not new but it has gotten worse since his stroke. Life has changed for him, and for my...

I had a dream to Become the next Michael Phelps. I trained and trained Harder than before To decrease my times; To blow their minds.   I had a dream.   But one day, My inner critic came Knocking at my door. Looking like my friend; Sounding like my father; Spewing insults like a bully.   I had a dream.   Words flowed out of h...

JESSE: 18, black loose long sleeve black leggings, long dark messy hair, black leather gloves AGATHA: 11, looks 18, black loose long sleeve, black leggings, long dark hair pulled into a neat bun, a more stereotypically feminine version of JESSE, black leather gloves KERES: 18, black loose long sleeve that covers hands, black leggings, long dark hair in a braid, a happy bounce in their step   *no...

The day was cool, calm, and humid. Water in between the bricks of the sidewalk reflected a soft, beaming sunlight as if it had just rained. Maybe it had, I couldn’t say for sure.  It had taken me about a day to get here. Few buses still ran this far East, and I had to walk the last few miles because my taxi driver refused to go any further.  Now that I was here, the damage felt surreal. ...

I waited for the sixth knock before pushing aside the barrier to allow for the newest arrival. Six cloaked heads could be seen standing in a circle. Six seconds passed before I returned to the pentagram, my head bent towards the bloodied earth. The chanting increased tenfold and I lifted my eyes to face the sacrifice. With a crooked smile, I uttered the word, “Begin.”

Jamie felt the deep navy comforter below him with one of his young, delicate hands, legs hanging off of the mattress. The bed had already been made, and all of the doable chores for that afternoon had been completed. However, this boy, at the fresh age of 11, had no interest in moving his attention from his monotonous inner dialogue. Neither Jamie’s airplane toys scattered about the room, nor his outdate...

You frustrate me endlessly, You know that? When I need you, You vanish; The fountain runs dry And I’m left lost Without ideas— Staring at a blank page Wishing for something, Anything to get me going— And you’re nowhere to be found.    You pop up At the most inopportune times Gifting me with ideas That demand to be written down At 3am So I...