[FEMALE LEAD] is a high-octane [PROFESSION] from [LARGE CITY] on track for a big promotion when she is called back home to [SMALL TOWN] after the death of her father. After solely focusing on her career for so long, slowing down and returning to her roots is a challenge, as is reconnecting with [MALE LEAD]. He’s been where she was but left his job as a powerful [PROFESSION] years ago to become a [...

The hardest part of any endeavor

Is enduring inclement weather

Whether continuing on makes sense

Since barriers are so dense

Turn future to present tense

Tension rises in your chest

But what separates Thought from Real

Is that no matter how you feel

You must no longer idly sit

You must absolutely never qu

…Meh, forget it....

Oh, Great City

How we love thee

Skyscrapers obscure

The sky above me

Bags of refuse

Line the streets

Foraging

Rats compete for

Restaurant seats

The club scene

drips with

Methamphetamine

As unauthorized Elmo

Curses me

For giving him nothing

Corrupted leaders

Keep taxing, spending

Never ending

But we keep reelecting

Forgiving them everything

For, oh Great City

How we love thee....

He watched as the fly crawled along the edge of his paperwork, an occasional flutter of a wing or pause to clean a forelimb.

How long had he been sitting here, the fly his only source of entertainment and companionship? Fatigue weighed down his bones and slumped his shoulders. He wanted to sleep, but that put him at risk of losing his place.

Cottonmouth. And his eyes were dry from sitting dire...

The scream was guttural, primal, formed from an ache from somewhere deep, forgotten, ignored, broken. He writhed on the floor of his living room—ironically named, mocking him. A second scream, followed by a single tight-mouthed oath.

How had it come to this? What had he done wrong? He had neither been bitten by zombie nor werewolf; he had angered no old hags or high priestesses; No magic spells ...

"Alright, boys, you ready to light this candle?"

"Sure thing, boss."

"Take us up, Murdoch."

"I ain't gettin' on no plane!"

Hannibal put his hand on his trusted companions bowling ball-sized shoulder. "Relax, BA. You can meet us there. See, I have the van all gassed up and--now!"

The distraction worked. Murdoch plunged the hypodermic needle into BA's arm. The massive man stumbled around a bit...

Earthquakes no longer feel so foreign to my body,

It's been days of a personal hell;

I have been hour-upon-hour upon potty,

No more GrubHubs from Taco Bell....

Swallow? No, common thrush. It’s perched above me, watching me in the bushes. Its song draws attention, mocks my effort to remain apart, outside.

Hidden, is more accurate, I suppose. It wasn’t my fault. By the time I realized what I was doing it was too late. I’m sure she’ll see it that way. I mean, really, I have nothing to feel bad about. Stuff like this happens in long-term relationships. It’...

You, so patient, a clerk

At Barnes & Noble

…Noble? Maybe.

Saintly? Absolutely,

As that woman you helped

Find a book,

Told you—in detail—why she

Loved the previous works of an

Author

You could not care any less

About.

You, so patient, a barista?

No, a book seller, working in the

Barnes & Noble cafe;

Working the coffee machines;

Not burning the milk.

You only know the drinks on the menu,

But pe...

“…”

“What?”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…!”

“Oh, you found out.”

“…?”

“I don’t know why. It just… happened.”

“…”

“Don’t be like that.”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

“…”...