There are cracks on the internet Is there a hole in the alphabet?  There are cracks in the ground Is there a hole in the Pound?  There are cracks in my skin Is there a hole in the garbage bin?  There are cracks in the skyline Is there a hole in my shrine?  There is a crack in my ...

When Johnny turns sixteen, he and grandpa go car shopping. They are searching for a used one, but it is exciting nonetheless. Johnny sees a set of hot wheels out of grandpa’s price range. He falls in love and pleads to make up the difference by working longer hours at the garage. Grandpa gives in, ...

Mildred is enjoying her newfound freedom after her divorce from Ray. She hits the dating scene and immediately falls in love again. The tall, handsome Gene Gephardt is amiable and ambitious. He dreams of building an upscale nightclub and restaurant on the outskirts of Granite City. The location? Not too far from St. Louis but ...

Take a tune that starts with ‘C,’ technically in the middle but still just beginning. Roll it around in a couple of flats and repeat. Over and over, the same melody. Take a path that is familiar. Walk the same trodden dirt and the same cobbled streets. Have a coffee at exactly nine and another ...

The Chameleon says to her Mom, “I want to be many creatures and do many things, all at once.” Mom tells her she cannot be any more than one creature at a time, and cannot do more than one thing at a time. She has to pick one. But Chameleon can’t. Her mind travels fast ...

When I started the search for my biological roots, I was innocent and naïve. It hadn’t crossed my mind that my family would deny and reject me. I thought the most significant hurdle would be just locating them. I had little information; being adopted was like that. It was the proverbial needle in the haystack.  ...

How strange it is that we can meet someone at the park, work, and school and quickly become friends. Before that moment, this person was a stranger. You realize everything you have in common through communication, time spent together, and a friendship blooms.  Before you know it, you are exchanging birthday gifts, sharing vacations, and ...

Two women share the same space. One young, the other old. One from this generation. One from another. Bowl of uncooked long grain rice in bride’s supple hands, Mom-in-law stands behind blossoming spotless shoulders, to inspect the rise of rice. Rubbing starch off rice with benign fingers, she plays, admiring her youthful face rising to ...

A Woman’s a Lotus planted firmly, deep into the water yet unattached, her leaves – they float above all.   She rises, holding chin up, and smiles through the day.   Outside temperature may be 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but she regulates the temperature of her flowers at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, bringing warmth to all, regardless ...

A moment that ‘is’ may soon turn to a moment that ‘was.’ Warbler’s singing a tune. Listen ‘now,’ as she may sing a different song or not…next moment.   The Sun rays ‘re piercing through space between railings. Natural light’s causing a geometrical design of shadows on the deck. See ‘now,’ as new shapes may ...