THE SOWBELLY TRIO by James Hanna
My wife, Mary, and I sit on the front porch of our Florida home. Mary is feeling nostalgic, so she asks me a syrupy question. I never feel very comfortable when Mary asks me...
ISOLATION by Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar
Isolation
Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar
At 10:00 a.m., the tiny Alaskan village still sleeps in this unrelenting daylight. Not one walker crosses my path on my trek to the black-sanded beach; a hulking dog, wolf-like and menacing,...
THIS WINTER by Bridget Kiley
THIS WINTER
This winter, in collaboration with Covid-19
Bridget Kiley
I never wore socks before quarantine, but now I seem to always be in need of them -- digging to the bottom of drawers to find a...
THE FADE by Mary Casey Stark
The Fade
By Mary Casey-Sturk
Five people living in a one-bedroom house was not unusual in my neighborhood. I suppose you could call it a neighborhood, though each street seemed to have an independent streak and...
CONCESSIONS FOR CASH by LeeAnn Weaver
I got the key out of the lockbox and swung the front door open. The wide, winding staircase and empty hall greeted me as it did every Sunday. I put down my bag filled...
THE PERILS OF BELIEF by Dian Parker
The Perils of Belief
I joined a cult in my 30’s. My reason for joining was to change the way I thought.
Of course, at the time, I didn’t know it was a cult. I was...
FOR THE LAND OF THE FREE by Christine Kiefer
For the Land of the Free
I am wrapped up in a map of the United States of America.
I fall asleep at night picturing the nation. I have an artsy map of the country...
A BIG WIND KNOCKED IT OVER by Bethany Reid
A Big Wind Knocked It Over
by Bethany Reid
Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow,The small raine down can raine.Cryst, if my love were in my armesAnd I in my bedde again!
-16th century, anonymous
My husband is...
DISCOVERING by Alexis Garcia
Discovering
“I want you to read something and see if anything resonates with you,” my therapist told me, handing me a booklet.
My eyes focused on the list of symptoms for a mental illness I...