Am I a puppet?A monkey destined tosing and dance on a whim?If I slap on foundation,pretty pink lipstick,and fake lashes,will I be real?Or if I toss my templefrom person to person,like a game of hot potato,will that be enough?Should I let rugged hands travelwhat the good Lord made,just to earn a penny of affection?Or allow ...

Content Warning:  This story contains restricted (R) content, including violence, nudity, physical abuse, trauma, and murder. This story is written for an adult audience.  Stars glittered across the midnight canvas sky peaking through the treetops. Each individual diamond reflected in the deep blue eyes of Sarah Hawkins, sprawled naked on top of a cheap quilt. It was bought at an Amish marketplace, intricately crafted and ...

*Trigger warnings* Depression, Divorce, Death/loss, griefSuicide, Mental illness, violent contentReader discretion is advised***              Days in the hospital’s intensive care unit felt like a lifetime for Micki. She stopped counting the days after a week, maybe two, of her being here. Why would she want to anyways? Nothing mattered to her anymore. Nothing to care ...

Why am I the unbeliever?Because I never trusted you?Cruel and deceitful Always expecting meTo be perfect and holyLike you, oh pious man You told me I was meantFor something more thanWhat was given to me.On God’s green earthThat it’s my destinyMy sole purpose The days grew into weeksWeeks grew into monthsMonths passed into yearsNo prayers answered ...

*Trigger warnings* Depression, Divorce, Death/loss, grief Suicide, Mental illness, violent content Reader discretion is advised *** The rest of the trip to the hospital was a complete blur to Micki. The stay in the intensive care unit, however, may as well have been a mere intense dream that Micki wished she would just wake up ...

Introduction:A special thank you to Ingrid of Experiments in Fiction, for recommending I watch the movie, “The Diving Bell And The Butterfly”. The Tanka below is a brief summary of my thoughts about the movie. In The Blink Of An Eye (a Tanka) Tears on my pillowButterflies on the ceilingI see silent bellsWhere memories never ...

Long ago, I lay bruised on a pebble beach The jagged rocks had cut me deep I remained bleeding and afraid Beached, my heart remained in pieces The old shards are now blunt Crusty edges softened by time And light ascends from their sandy chasms As a shining, sifting through scarred fears I now see ...

Content Warning: contains references to assault, drug use, death of a parent, and child abuse. When we spotted her, she sat in the corner. A tiny child holding a doll, she picked its poofed hair with the ferocity of potential future trichotillomania. Her skin’s patches of white and darker tan contrasted with the doll’s color ...