Anne skipped home after school, careful to not step on the cracks on the sidewalk. It was fun to pretend the cracks would grow and swallow her up if she stepped on them. Her mom held her hand but wasn’t walking fast enough. Anne was excited because they were going to the petting zoo! “WhatContinue reading “The Petting Zoo Goat”
Project Archives
Radiation Therapy
Irene closes the vial of radium paint, sneaking it into her bosom. The watch faces illuminate with undark vitality. The countdown begins. Pinching cheeks for color, polishing shoes with holes in the soles, the girls dance the Charleston without partners at ten. “For the boys in the trenches,” they say. Eleven, Irene paints her home’sContinue reading “Radiation Therapy”
Playfully Serious
I never thought sharing secrets in the dark would mean coming out. Stephan passed me the almost empty tequila bottle. “Okay, Rene,” he said. “Your dare is to French kiss a girl.” “What?” I said. “Here?” I thought camping was a way of escaping the facade. “Right here, right now,” encouraged Colton. “What’s so scaryContinue reading “Playfully Serious”
Double Ds
“Am I wearing too much makeup? The red lipstick is a bit much, isn’t it.” Madeline turned her head from side to side, scrutinizing her face in the mirror. She puckered her lips at her reflection and then she wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like my eyebrows. Do you think Steve will hate my eyebrows?”Continue reading “Double Ds”
The Song of the Dragon Watchmen
The dragons are in spiteful sleepLaid to rest in water’s deepCurled to hide or curled to fightLocked away in winter’s plight. Thick ice like cloudy skiesSouls as dark as remembered liesSleep my dragons, sleep tonightFor summer eyes shall be wide and bright. Angel tatters flutter on the hillGuarding wizards hoping to killCaptor and captive chainedContinue reading “The Song of the Dragon Watchmen”
Where is the Star of my Soul?
They say loneliness is a dark place Like a cave or a pit, shut eyes bring an endless night without stars to map the shifting heavens. I search for movement, evidence of time passing Proving there is a beginning, a place this was born And a promise of an end whether with answers or not.Continue reading “Where is the Star of my Soul?”
We Are Not a Colony of Ants
One by one, she watched the dark lines wriggle up and down, to and from the tunnel entrance in the center. Following foot to feeler, ant after ant after ant wrapped in random yet neat patterns like a spirograph inside the tiny formicarium. She watched for another minute, breathing evenly, and thinking about what lifeContinue reading “We Are Not a Colony of Ants”
Sleepy Sunday
Napping at the windowNose buried in fur and fuzzBreath warming pawsIn quiet clocklike snores Body wrapped in a curlHeat from the heart and the sunEars and eyes rest gentlyDreaming of the next warm spot Soft and fluffy orange and whiteTail counting in soft delightLike a dismissive queen’s airUndisturbed by worry Birds and wind?Grasses and flowers?NothingContinue reading “Sleepy Sunday”
Lessons from the Lupin Lady
Blue, purple, and white stemsTall and narrow skyscrapersSwaying in the sea breezeAnd happily bloom as evidenceThat the world is beautiful Travel the seas and skiesReach for the depthsAnd reach for the starsLearn of nature, people, and culturesLive the trials and tribulations When you’re ready to come homeAnd know what home isAnd what home is worthNurtureContinue reading “Lessons from the Lupin Lady”
A Colorado Spring
The lazy breeze wafts through the pines keeping my neck cool as I hike up the mountain trail. Like spectators, the millions of pine needles rustle in synchronized dips as the branches wave back and forth. The robins have not yet returned, and the absence of birdsongs accentuates the cold with silence. There is nothingContinue reading “A Colorado Spring”
K M Hasling 