The literary journal for writers with day jobs. And that’s all of us.
Today’s peace is retaliation for Those decades of unease – but At a price. My spirit racks the Chain fence of this physical form, Simple as breathing. Always has been. Having cut my teeth on trespassers and Larcenists makes me cower from a timid Hand, though I crave it and employ my own. On my … Read More
World gaps, liminal spaces Glass cages for the dopamine-low A tree split by lightning, Dare you extend a hand, touch its raw flesh? Puddle-dust, obscuring infinite depth Questions not asked, your grandparents’ secrets, Histories or heroism too terrible to reveal The brick that crumbles when isolated Naked frailty, quickly unseen Behind carved privet The state’s … Read More
Baked Potato Description: The perfect side to any meal; the best medicine when recovering from an illness. Preparation: Board Daddy’s car— a Chevy Blazer or wood-paneled station wagon depending on the day— drive to a restaurant, enjoy this rare time as a family of four. Number of Servings: 1 Ingredients: 1 baked potato Butter* Fatherly … Read More
Today I fully inhabit my body, Watching the sunlight brighten Each flower on my pillowcase, Then move across the hardwood floor. I lie in bed and sip a cup of coffee So pungent Sumatra sings in my bones. Today I examine my travel companion With childlike curiosity As if looking at a squashed bug: How … Read More
The road spread out before me like a grey carpet I was on course for my destination, almost there, just a pair of traffic lights, veering into the light wind, a bump, slowing down, then navigating into my large compound, where light is cast over the roofs and trees as though the moon gave birth … Read More
This play by Judythe Guarnera was the first place fiction winner in the 2023 Golden Quill Writing Contest. Cast: Protagonist: X-Wife: Judy Strictly Moral Conscience SMC Dennis Sympathetic Techie Conscience STC Steve NEUTRAL NARRATOR NN JUDY Scene: X-Wife’s Living Room Day: All Hallows Eve ACT ONE Time: Shortly before dusk X-Wife: Damn, I wish he was … Read More
This poem by M. Golda Turner was a first place winner in the 2023 Golden Quill Writing Contest. I earned my sea legs at the age of three, Coursing the Gulf, our small family. The Tomorrow was our ocean home, A yacht with bed and bath to roam. She cut into cresting waves so strong, … Read More
As we progress through the centuries, a passel of prophets, prognosticators, and pundits are trying to predict what the next ones might bring. So, it might be instructive for these folk to look back at the little-known letter Merlin wrote to King Arthur on December 31,999, in which he discussed his thoughts about the First … Read More
In the spring of 1975, I drove to the Bald Hills, on the west side of the Upper Sacramento Valley, east of Redding, California. The area was aptly named, as few trees grew amid the golden grass-covered rolling hills and dry arroyos. It was here that I hoped to find evidence of an ancient ocean. … Read More