Can I use the phone? A shaky voice appeared from behind an oversized bush while I was eating. Under the glowing lightbulbs, it appeared like this was the only place on earth still awake. She didn’t scare me, her gentle approach made it clear that she was more afraid than I should be. It's just… Continue reading Questions for a Silent God
When summer is over, and the morning chill stands close by. And the years should be counted, even though they slip slower. And faster. Because the heaps of memory build up the pressure. Time, remembrance, meaning, waste. When had the yester turned into being. The now, the will, are losing their luster. Because too many… Continue reading Love Doesn’t Work, Sometimes
She took a deep breath and took hold of the peeling shopping cart handle. One arm battled to bend her daughter’s leg, while the other arm hoisted the baby awkwardly above the metal basket. Anchoring one foot behind the closest wheel to keep the cart from rolling away, she wiggled the uncooperative little girl into… Continue reading Solving the Struggle of Mom
There was a time when she thought she had it all under control. When kids listened, when they were safe. When she didn’t have to worry. But there were times, like tonight, when she felt that it was all unraveling. Each end she tried to grasp and tie up, slipped through her fingers. And she… Continue reading Chosen to Lose It
Escaping to nothing. Floating in the blackness of the ocean. The pitch wet pricked under the back of her hair. Rushing chills from her neck, down the skin, inside her spine, scraping the icicles over each and every vertebrae. In an unknown empty where she couldn’t see what was coming, swimming, under the slicked oil… Continue reading To Nothing
Some of us are tortured that we don’t have the right words. Some of us are terrified that our actions don’t live up to our beliefs. Some of us even second guess what we know is true and real. Some of us are drowning in the midst of the sea of life. Some of us… Continue reading Prison of Prayer
It was only the second drink. Sloshing spinning slivers of silvery ice. Two pieces swimming just beneath the surface. Swirling around in synchrony glassed in an endless circle. A tiny shake from his fingers almighty kept them timelessly turning around each other. They crash into each other from time to time, bludgeon themselves against the… Continue reading Drunk for the Angels
Pins and needles deep inside, slicing and stabbing as each second passes. There is no comfortable way to lay down anymore, every angle tingles in pain. She cringes from muscle cramps, from the frozen positions she calls relaxation. Her mind won’t stop. Her eyes won’t close. Waiting. Watching. But for what exactly? Something that will… Continue reading Something is Coming
Turkey on the table, smiles on the faces. Family together and music in the background. And here, now we gather to give thanks. But what is it, then, that we give thanks for? Turkey on the table, smiles on the faces, family together and music in the background. Peace and comfort. Food and drink. Family… Continue reading Insincere Thanksgiving
It gets cold. slowly. First a chill on the tip of the nose and a numb little toe. And it cuts a little deeper inside, the darker it gets. A few minutes past sundown and the air is ice. Not only threatening from the shadows, but now stabbing from the inside. Of her throat. Down… Continue reading Cold Hope
Cindy Koch 