Published inPrism & Pen·Apr 27Member-onlyRom-Com Gender Blender — Gay Guy’s Straight BFF Steals His Fiancé. WTF?BFFs forever — not — “A-tisket, a-tasket, a green and yellow basket; I wrote a letter to my love and on the way I lost it; I lost it, I lost it, oh, on the way I lost it; A little puppy picked it up and put it in his pocket” The inane children’s song…Romance6 min readRomance6 min read
Published inContemplate·Apr 18Member-onlyI’m a Sucker for Romance, but Thanks, FaceBook Friend, I’m Better Off SingleGrateful for the invite, I think — Dear Nice Man Who’s Following Me on FB, Okay, I’m taking a leap of faith here in assuming you are a nice man and not some stalker or would-be scam artist, but your breezy assumption I am missing out, and your insistence “we must connect” begged for a response, so…Humor5 min readHumor5 min read
Published inMuddyUm·Apr 17Member-only“Dear Mr. Browning” — Beloved Victorian Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s First DraftSecond time’s the charm, mayhap? — Elizabeth Barrett-Browning was a great admirer of Harriet Beecher Stowe, George Sand, and other feminist artists of her era. One can only wonder how her love sonnets might have been influenced were she writing in our modern era. How dost thou irk me? Gods! In countless ways. I’ll curse thee down…Poetry2 min readPoetry2 min read
Published inHinged·Apr 15Member-onlyWhat Big Teeth You HaveIs this the bus to Grandma’s house? — “Ya gettin’ on, or what?” The burly bus driver didn’t mean to sound gruff and scary. But his whiskey-bass rasp was loud. His deep-set, dark eyes peered from under a bushy black unibrow. …Humor4 min readHumor4 min read
Published inHinged·Jul 16, 2022Member-onlyThe Cat Who Thought He Was a CowboyHold yer horses, kitty — “Martha, the cat’s in front of the TV again.” The huge marmalade cat’s tail gave an eloquent swish. One ear flicked back. He knew I wasn’t going to do anything. Cat, also known as J.P. Cat (for Just Plain Cat), was a keen student of human behavior. Martha’s voice floated…Pets6 min readPets6 min read
Published inHinged·Jul 9, 2022Member-onlyThe Cat Who Thought He Could FlyAy caramba, Martha, get that cat a parachute — “Martha — the cat’s in my sweater drawer again.” The huge marmalade cat named “Cat” opened one eye. He regarded me for a moment, as only a cat could who knew he was master of all he surveyed. He’d wandered in one rainy afternoon almost twelve years ago. A soggy…Humor5 min readHumor5 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Jul 6, 2022Member-onlyDrugs Won’t “Cure” Gay. There Ain’t No Cure For Love: A Gilead StoryStumbling Towards Gilead — Chapter Ten — Luc jerked awake. His bed-chamber was dark and cool. He raised a hand to his forehead. Why am I sweating? Whatever’d startled him from sleep was gone. He tried to hold onto it. But, it faded, leaving behind a snatch of song. Where do I begin To tell the story of…Love7 min readLove7 min read
Published inLit Up·Jul 3, 2022Member-onlyNobody’s Idea of a HeroLit Up Summer Holiday Prompt — What the hell was I doing, standing in the middle of the weed-filled, over-grown, fair-grounds? The carnival folk had faded into the night ten years ago. Left everything — burnt-out trailers, broken rides, flattened concessions… I stared at my reflection in the grimy, fly-specked glass of the Fortune Teller’s booth…Humor5 min readHumor5 min read
Published inHinged·Jul 2, 2022Member-onlyThe Dreadful Addiction of Atticus LeeA cautionary tale — The dreadful addiction of Atticus Lee was driving his parents apart; His poor mother moaned, but his father condoned What brought joy to his only son’s heart; The dreadful addiction, bad habit? affliction? …Humor3 min readHumor3 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Jul 2, 2022Member-onlyWhat Does The Rainbow Stand For? Can You Say Gay? A Gilead StoryStumbling Towards Gilead — Chapter Nine — The little boy skipped towards the central plaza. One of hundreds of school-age boys. Hair slicked down, shoes mirror-bright. All with identical brown leather knapsacks over identical blue-blazers. The only thing to set this boy apart, aside from his singular gait, was the awkward bulge in his knapsack. …LGBTQ8 min readLGBTQ8 min read