A ballad of mindful introspection — I see them living their lives, filled with items on their full-size shelves, inside their three-car garages while their hearts remain empty. And it really hurts. I see them living as if their consciousness and bodies were one and the same, as if their bones and flesh lasted forever; Accumulating…

A prose poem about renewal — Wouldn’t it be nice if we were given a chance of a total reset button? A brand new life, a brand new heart, A new family. New friends. Wouldn’t it be nice? Although it hurts to say, We have already been given this button. Each morning, as the sun rises …

A Southern Tale — “Welcome to Old Trinity Church, the young African-American man said out loud with a smile on his face. He shook a few hands and welcomed about a dozen people who entered the Victorian rundown building in a small, typical town in the west of Missouri. Patty smiled at the young…

Embracing daily acts of rebirth with mindfulness —

A short story on madness and truth — “She’s going through that phase again,” said Mom to Dad, shaking her head. Mom didn’t know I could eavesdrop on their conversations late at night. She was clueless about many things in life, but that specific thing was the one thing I needed her to believe. However, she didn’t. Sofia…

A short story about distant memories — “One, two, three, four, five,” I can still hear my mom say in the kitchen while counting crackers and packing them into our lunch bags before we left for school. I stare at the poor family in northwest Oklahoma from the top branch of the black walnut tree. The tree…

A Short Pride Story “Let’s go for a walk, Marie,” Brian said tugging his hair behind his ear. He did that every time he had to either confess something or apologize, or both, his sister mused. “Ok,” Marie said with a nod. The two siblings walked through a path that…

A Thanksgiving Story — “Maggie,” Justin yelled as he climbed down the front porch steps. “Wait!” Maggie turned around. “What is it?” “You can’t just leave.” Maggie cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Watch me.” She resumed her fast walking out of that place and quickly got to her Kia Sportage. Justin stopped her from…

A 100-word short story “That'll cost you extra,” the hotel manager mumbles as I head to the luxury sauna. “The hot stones,” he adds, pointing to my tray. “It didn’t before,” I snap. He recedes, eyes drooping. Who’s going to stop me after all? They all knew about Josh’s little…