Poem: Weathering Rock

Her heart once soft and beating
Over time petrified
From lack of being held
Hardening to the world
Until it was a rock to the outside

Poem: Another Never Again Day

Sleeping in the shadow of willows
She laces her fingers through dirt
Trying to feel connected to anything
Trying to keep herself from floating away
It’s another never again day

Poem: Blue

Blue is the color of her eyes
That turn a deeper shade
Of cerulean when reflecting
The clarity of summer skies

Blue like the deep of a lake
Her azure soul is filled
With experiences lived
Reflecting love and heartache

Short Story: Fool for Love

Marching on the stage with a tumble and bow, springing to his feet with a smile, Taddeo revels in their cheers.

At least that’s the image he wants to sell to the gathered court. He sings for his supper and his hijinks keep him alive. No one in the crowd recognizes the previously wealthy business man Tonio behind the caked on make-up.

A merchant of the town, selling fine fabrics and rich silks, that royalty from the world around came to see. Each one he addressed with respect and professional distance until he met her—Princess Nedda.

Speechless, he bowed to her and kissed her hand even knowing it was forbidden. Even knowing the prince’s jealousy of his beautiful wife.

Poem: She Sings

She sings when things are good
She cries when they are bad
Her mood reflects her world
That she wears upon her sleeve
To let the rest of the world know
How to revolve around her

Short Story: Redemption

Sitting on the bridge overlooking the bay I wait.

I know death is coming for me. Again.

A lifetime ago, literally one lifetime ago as of two minutes ago, I was a street magician.

Or a huckster.

It depended on your disposition or my needs. I worked and lived on the street for as long as I could remember. Since I started out as a kid, gainful employment wasn’t an option, and after a trip to juvie and some unpleasant experiences there, I realized a life of crime wasn’t for me either.

Poem: Lament for Lost Love

In the still of the grave
Lies wilting in white
Rose petals of sadness
For my love who lives there
Wrapped in chiffon
The color of fresh snow
Like her body and just as cold