Miscellaneous Writings and Musings


A genie and her rock band

(Novel and Short Stories)

Steal Tomorrow

Steal Tomorrow

(Novel and Short Stories)

My Books and Stories

My Books and Stories
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55 - Creature of the Night

He didn't set out to scare anyone;
that wasn't his intent.
But he had to wear his brand new cape
after all the money he spent!

He slipped it on and admired himself,
all dressed up to make a scene.
He cut a fine figure, so he thought,
but didn't realize it was Halloween...


Does your scary tale use exactly 55 words? Creep on over to the G-Man and let him know!

Buying Time

What fuzzy thinking got us here,
to where our expectation is
that magic does exist
and can be purchased
with a MasterCard?

But in spite of our best intentions,
(We shall make friends with Time!)
our incantations
have fallen flat;
useless against the onslaught.

And so we go back:
another potion in a bottle,
the sharp end of a needle,
a powder in a box,
and a little jar of wishes, dreams
and peptides.

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.

One True Thing

I yearn for one safe place
that flames cannot consume,
nor life's betrayals erode,
for like all whose feet
are made of clay,
I am hunted
in my waking hours
(and in the inky hush of night)
by Time:
in a race that cannot be won,
and will end in a winding sheet.

But though my body bends
and mind breaks,
still I gather pebbles
and pile them on the shore.
Each one is a story,
a little myth,
a fable:


Because although I
pay my dues,
chase the shadows,
collect my prizes
and display them upon the shelf just so,
it is only the story that matters,
and tales are all I have.

This was written for The Sunday Whirl and Sunday Scribblings.

55 - Transparent


He denied it, but everyone could see the truth.

Squirrels can be so...transparent.


55 - Lost in Time

It seemed like just an ordinary day - sunny, pleasant, a good day to tie one's cravat, slip one's feet into buckled shoes, put on the tricorn hat and go for a little stroll. Yes, it was an ordinary day, but for the oddly-dressed people staring and giving him funny looks.

What was their problem?


Too Soon

Friend of my youth,
mainstay of my best years,
soon to be my betrayer.
How daunting is the thought of your departure!

Commonsense says
turn away;
cut the knot,
lean on less ephemeral friends.

But who am I without you?

Decades of:
fastidious cultivation of this relation,
which made me raise my chin with confidence
because you were by my side.

How could I leave you before it’s time?

Instead I cling to you
with the intensity of a drowning man
who thinks he cannot swim.

Oh, I could be too clever,
learn to find my own way
in the dark;
lean on truer truths
and teach myself to be strong.
But not yet. Not now.

I will whisper incantations
while I rouge my cheeks
and my pat my coiffure into place.
Then I will take your hand
and beg you let me eat of the apple
all the days of my life.

This is a Three Word Wednesday post.

55 - Feline Flight

She had enough of confinement, monotonous food and insipid entertainment. So one day while the bipeds were at work, she took their biggest suitcase (the purple one), filled it with her favorite bedding, toys, a sack of Iams and a bag of catnip, and prepared to hit the road. Adventure and excitement would be hers!


By the River

I would take you
to the river,
green water,
stars above,
ripe for secrets,
if only
you would share
for an hour,
for a night,
take a chance,
put your troubles
in a basket
in the water
and let it float away.

Sins of the flesh
need not be sins
of the heart,
but you saw danger,
blinked first,
and doubted.

Forget what you think
you know.
Dare to trust,
leave your nest.
Take my hand
and be my
my accomplice,
clever partner
in a crime
that is no crime,
soon forgotten
here by the river,
where by morning
all our memories
will be swept away.

This was written for The Sunday Whirl.

55 - Pioneer

Old man Guenther had a grist mill
and for years sold the finest flour,
but he wanted to go one better
and build a big stone tower.

It reached far above the tree line
and people talked of it far and near.
Guenther made his fortune by thinking big!
You could say he was a...pioneer.
