I’m alone. Slow and steady, from my stomach, through my heart, through my throat and out of my eyes. Waves begging for something I don’t know how to give. Why are you back? Why are you bothering me again? I’ve eaten, I’ve slept, I’ve walked, I’ve talked, I’ve worked, I’ve cleaned, I’ve thought so deeply … Continue reading 4/20/2023
Category: prose
Unchanged
Chalk lines on pavement once meant hopscotch; now, they outline the bodies. Orphaned backpacks of bulletproof fabrics litter the vibrant halls, while the children line up in clouds to get fitted for angel wings. On the wall: "NOTICE: Heaven is running low on size '7T'" A little girl wonders if they come in a pony theme... As a nation, paralyzed … Continue reading Unchanged
Fading
The world moved around her in a way she could not follow. Friends spoke, children laughed... But she sat alone, smiling back at curious gazes, trying to exist but fading.
Here for You
I let my guard down, to be replaced by another’s secure arms in an embrace that felt as natural as falling in love. In that moment, a star shot through the sky as if to say, “I’m here for you.” For the first time in a long time, I knew I was where I should … Continue reading Here for You
On Memory – 2
I don’t remember the last time I watched the sunrise. At least, not from somewhere other than the I5 freeway. Was I with a loved one, or all alone? Did I plan on that memory lasting forever? I can’t imagine thinking I’d forget it as thoroughly as I have, much less planning to. Likely, I … Continue reading On Memory – 2
Still Trapped.
There is no way to cleanse you from my blood; the DNA that spreads through me, entangled in a history of you and us and insanity, is permanently tattooed on my life like the ink in my skin that reminds me, each day, to move on. I scrub myself red and raw, crying to empty … Continue reading Still Trapped.
A Cleanse – Prose for Dverse
Exhaustion overwhelms her small frame as she relaxes into her father’s old reclining chair. Soft candlelight dances against the off-white walls of the sitting room, forming the shadows of recognizable faces between the furnishings. She gazes into their familiar eyes, yearning for their found peace, but hesitant to leave behind the familiarity of life. They … Continue reading A Cleanse – Prose for Dverse
CaliStray 