By: Joan Slatoff They should have private waiting areas at this clinic. It’s embarrassing; everyone knows why we’re here.  There’s only the two of us in reception at the moment, me and that girl in the corner chair. I used…

By: Donna Gum Jenkins would have given in to despair long ago, living with his miser of a daughter. Mary Sue wanted him to sign over his wealth, which Jenkins refused. He didn’t know what he would do without Amelia,…

By: Duane L Herrmann     The young man was eager to buy his first house. He had heard that you could get a good deal at a house auction. The house might need work to fix it up, but if…

By James Aitchison A white ruler of a savage jungle populated by headhunters; an English family dynasty controlling a far-flung outpost of the Empire.  Something out of a boys’ adventure storybook?  Or a Hollywood movie starring Errol Flynn? History brims…

By: Debbie Tunstall ” Sit down,” he said.“What can I do to help?” I’ll slouch downhead hung low, mind clenching words. Then something extraordinary happens- emotions paint the room. He looks up, opens lipssounds of deafening silence. I stand up,…

By Bruce Levine A winter morningSunshine fills crispy, clean airSnow is on the ground Fighting off the coldPeople bundled to the neckHats and scarves and gloves Frozen hands and feetTime for a hot chocolate breakWhen will winter end Winter’s frozen…

By William T. Hathaway “Fascism” is the current malediction of the left media to evoke fear and loathing of Trump, Alternatives for Germany (AfD), and other right-wing movements. It’s a strongly charged term, but false and harmful. What we are…

By: Imran Zarif  Arman stood at the entrance of his childhood home, now worn with time. The walls, once filled with laughter, whispered tales of the past. Everything happens on time, he thought. With time, we evolve, we part our…

By James Aitchison In the early 1930s, a middle-aged Oxford University professor sat down at his desk, reached for a blank sheet of paper, and scribbled the immortal words: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” The…

By: Jim Bates Winter’s frigid songCold wind howling through bare treesWindswept melody. Clear cold winter night Dome of stars bright and immenseStarlight streaming bliss. Out comet huntingSaw instead a soft sunsetMagic in the sky. Winter afternoonSunlight hanging suspendedAlmost whispering.