Lydia was eight years younger than I when I was thirty-eight. We met at a PTA Mother’s Day Plant Sale. I was in charge of counting money. I remember counting piles of quarters over and over again, coming up with a different total each time — finally scattering the coins across the table in frustration. […]
Time: Present Setting: A bench at a bus stop along 125th Street in Manhattan Anita sits alone, working intently on the Times crossword puzzle. She doesn’t notice when Bobbi sits quietly next to her. Bobbi: …Elfman! Anita: Wha… Who are you… what did you say!?! Bobbi: Uh, Elfman… Danny Elfman? Anita: Elfman? Who…? Bobbi: Elfman! […]
Sarah had traveled this path countless times, at first on her bicycle and lately on foot now that she had Larry (dog, not boyfriend) as a walking companion. Larry always was game for the walk, tail wagging, sniffing and taking in the scents of deer and birds, other dogs and people. But on that fateful […]
I was going through a mid-month crisis. I had a deadline to meet but the muse I count on to inspire me had gone AWOL. I find it hard to be amusing when I’m museless. Maybe I could just add a few wrinkles to something I’ve written before. No, I couldn’t do that. My conscience […]
It was going to be a warmer-than-usual day in Hell — that much was clear from the tone of Serena’s voice. When the Middleton Punishment Support hotline gets a call to tweak one of our correctional designs, most of the time Serena and her staff can handle it on their own. They can fine tune […]
The Mirror of Truth is a magical looking glass framed in the finest of silver alloy, made with glass of the most pristine clarity. The Court Magician, Sir Verit, crafted it at the command of Her Majesty the Queen, with the intent of building a tool of quality and wisdom worthy of sharing his name […]
Announcer: Now, from the WJWK newsroom in Pottsville, Maine, here is the evening news with Brick Bradshaw and Bev Golightly: Brick [pleasantly]: Good evening, Bev, lovely weather we’re having. Bev: Yes, Brick, it’s splendid! Brick: Well, unfortunately the news isn’t so splendid. There’s been a terrible car accident on Route 77. Bev [dreamily]: I hope […]
Cora Hammond stood inside Becky’s Blooms on Witherspoon Street and admired the colorful Gerbera daisies, alstroemeria, hydrangeas, and roses, among others. A wet nose poked her hand, and she glanced down at her service dog, a sable collie named Daisy. “They’re all so nice, I can’t make up my mind.” She gave the dog a […]
Bukkapatnam has published several anthologies and is the winner of the 2024 Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry from Penguin Random House. She lives in Kendall Park.
Asinobi wrote ‘Looking Up’ from her couch as a summer storm approached. Currently retired, she has lived in Monmouth Junction for 32 years.