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she’s ransomed for chunk change

by the betrayal of her inward gaze

pain and her varied pins

the reddened lips of an untruth

poised to strike

she stopped writing then as if

they etched her into stone and left her to moss

and rain

fall.

As a child she was told again and again

you will fail

she, being headstrong and determined

never did.

They said she wasn’t clever enough so she

left the first place prize on their desk with the words

don’t destroy futures

carved into the wood just like

her tomb.

As an adult she decided

there is no fate, you make of life what you will

by never giving up

and that worked well until the illness

turned her into a wraith and sucked the life force

out

leaving emptiness within.

No matter how hard she tried,

living

and its…

Let There Be Light

I don’t mind the cold or that white stuff they call snow
What I mind is the lack of light, if it’s forty days in a row.
Something kicks in, some hibernational urge
And I find myself laying in bed
Snoring a symphonic dirge

– A.R. Clayton

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Want to take a try? We’re here, cheering you on. Happy writing. ✏️

Here is another excerpt from my book “After – Rain Skies: A Million Stars’

In Memory

In memory of the woman

Who screams silently

The secrets of her soul

May she rest in peace

With her lost words

And intimate beauty

Kayla would have been just a manufactured memory to her family, friends, and children, had she not taken the courage to walk away from her abusive husband.

Kayla’s husband portrayed her as the best thing on the planet to ever happen to him, that he loved and adored her, and they had the perfect family. And she was outspoken as a child, so people believed that if something was wrong, she would definitely speak up.

They were married for five years, and though he was very controlling from the moment they met, the abuse really started after she had their first baby, and her husband never left her alone…

Good news: today will be the start of a new series! Leading up to the release of the Fun Size Anthology, I will be posting story teasers each week so you can see what to expect from this great collection, and it shall be called Fun Size Fridays! We’ve already had some good cover teasers building up to today’s full reveal, so let’s check it out!

Year’s End

If I lose myself in breathing,
will the air forgive my forgetfulness?

This oak, too, will stand long after
the last train exits the tunnel.

I worry that my friend may never
clamber past his lowest ambition.

Different and unabated, our words
now stumble over themselves.

Every night forms a morning somewhere:
each year, combined in our shared darkness.

* * *

“Year’s End” is included in my micro-chapbook Only This, available via free download from Origami Poems Project. Many thanks to editor Jan Keough for taking the mini-chap and offering this opportunity to so many.

Cover art by Mariya Suzuki

Merry met again, my good readers. For those of you following the saga of my Appalachian Urban Fantasy novella, you’ll be happy to know that Beneath Blair Mountain is out! You can find it on Amazon and Goodreads or read more about it on 1888’s website.