Bereft

When the storms come, life falls from the sky. Drops merge and rivulets race. Puddles deepen, spill over. A stream resurrected, begins its disoriented crawl to the sea.

The storms come less frequently now. Our fields lie baked and burned, crumbling like old chalk.

“Got any work?”

Yen

In those days, between the megacanes, some of us would be sent out into the searing heat to inspect the panels and batten down whatever had broken loose. Something was always broken.

Overdue Goodbyes

You never heard it at the time, of course. But, you were the sunshine of 8 a.m. freshman calculus class. All easy smiles, quick laughs, and bright eyes sitting next to me.

You never acknowledged the scowls and leers the other boys gave us, setting your sights on a certain unworldly someone instead.

You were always there with a ready question or small talk afterward in the breezeway.

Ooo-ooo Aah-aah and Ay

Leveling field where we play
Thin air baby can’t stay
Detailing devil work to pay
Ooo-ooo aah-aah and ay

Hiding open in the me
Ruling golden a door key
Loving cold stone in a sea
Keeping soul and body free

Inconsequence

“Sit.” Father Rehman gestured to an overstuffed chair in front of his desk.

Kenes sat. “You wanted to see me?” His eyes darted over the ostentatious surroundings, including the glass ceiling and the lights of New Houston overhead.

Undertaker

She said it was Odin and the Valkyries that filled the fog with cries that day.

“Master!” Lars, my assistant, called, “This one yet lives.”

The blood-caked warrior’s breath faint, we dug between the boulders to free the

Crapulous

Jordan staggered away from the concert with the group, ears ringing, thirsty, and concentrating. Left foot forward. Right foot forward. Don’t ralph again.

Follow the dude in the yellow shirt, he told himself.

Failure

His hands tremble. “Our account is empty.”

A red F had been circled. The veins in her old man’s neck throbbed.

Cryptic

Who could possibly know now of the master’s disregarded dawning? What waits scheming and strategizing endlessly in the shadows has indubitably, invariably lurked and lived there undetected and undeterred.

Puissant

I stopped short. “Kristina? Is that you?”

She took off her sunglasses. “Oh, hi!”

I tried to remember the last time I’d seen her.