By: K. A. Williams I work in returns at abig department store.The hours are longbut it’s never a bore. “I’d like a refund,”said the man with a bag.I pulled out the itemand scanned its tag. The computer searchedbut there was…

By: Ruth Z Deming She’d kept his photo at the bottom of her jewelry box, under her stunning wedding ring that bastard Stewart had given back, after the four children were grown. She took back her maiden name, Goodland, had…

By: Renea Di Bella ROSE There is a rose-colored light that lives in my body. It’s source set deep inside my pelvis,at the core of,the fruit of,the universe within me. When I think about this light, my mouth fills with…

By: Ananya Sahoo Dear diaryDear diary,Today, for the first time, it’s not about me – it’s about you.I was seven years old when you were placed in my arms, wrapped in bright green paper and a little bow on top.The…

By: Todd Mercer 1. “I’m telling you James, that poor woman over there endured the whole winter by herself. The worst one since ’78, and her man left her to it. At least since November, I saw her packing those…

By: Jim Woessner After Junk ’n Haul emptied the house, Bryan took a last walk through before the demolition crew arrived. It was the first time he’d been inside since the funeral. He assumed there was nothing of value left,…

By: Elaine Lennon Waah. Waah. Waah. The klaxon sounded and through the layer of the protective headphones clamped like cotton reels either side of his hard hat, Harwood could hear the insistent scream and thrum of machinery as the moving…

By: Carol Smallwood Lois Ruskai Melina, authorPaper back: 182 pages; $16.95: Kindle $5.99ISBN-13: 978-1951651411Publisher:  Shanti Arts LLC (September, 2020)http://www.shantiarts.co/uploads/files/mno/MELINA_GRAMMAR.html A reviewer, Rene Denfeld, longlisted for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, observes about The Grammar of Untold Stories: “Each essay…

By: James Bates Growing up it never failed, and this year was no exception, the first day of school was always embarrassing. By that I’m referring to class introductions, where the teacher went around and had us introduce ourselves and…

By: Aruna Subramanian Loners… All that leftto be on its owndo not suffer.Unlike creepersthat need supportto spread & stand,deep-rooted,tall standingloner trees,actuallyarent in agony… ### Guise… In moments ofunbeknownst outlawsshedding the shackles,we pick upour magnifiersto pass judgments.In such momentswe also don’tforget…