If I count the ways I love you, we wouldn’t be here very long. If I count the ways you hurt me, our time would stretch into eternity. If I count the times you demeaned me, belittled me, crushed my spirit, we could write a book. If I could add up every missed event, every missed conversation, every missed night, my tears could fill the chasm between us. Indeed, if I could enumerate every heartache,...

Every parent’s worst nightmare is losing their child. When it happens on Thanksgiving, the cruelty cuts deeper. This morning, a young boy around five years old from a few streets over was reported missing. The Amber Alert disrupted our mid-afternoon meal and my family, my husband and our three kids, stopped to say a prayer. We were joined by my parents, brother, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-l...

Panting, drooling, glaring, snarling Once such a sweet little darling I brought him back from the dead The sight of him fills me with dread

I’ve created a monster, a beast I should probably call a priest My sweet deceased hound I cried the day he drowned

I searched low and high Wide was my wild eye For a spell, a charm, an incantation I knew he’d be an abomination

I’ve created a monster, a beas...

Emma glided through the garden, sun warming her skin, as a gentle breeze lifted fallen petals into a silent dance on the pathway. Blooming roses and peonies competed for center stage. Bees buzzed around, gorging on nectar. Dragonflies played tag along the hedges and butterflies flitted around gracefully, occasionally stopping on a cherry blossom.

A smiled spread across Emma’s face as she pushed t...

A gentle breeze blows Through the broken window Dust dances in the light The window no longer airtight

Stuck open, never closed Challenging gravity, exposed The frame is faded white Signs of many a plight

Broken glass, silent house Devious mind, unsuspecting spouse A gentle breeze blows Through the broken window

Screams, then emptiness Gut-wrenching deadliness A gentle breeze blows Through the ...

Mr. Robert James Arthur led an eventful life. As he sat in his worn armchair by the bay window, he looked out at the street below the brownstone. These days, he spent most of his afternoons by this window, a tattered blanket warming his lap, and a book in his hand. He felt antiquated. He missed the days when he had the dexterity to pick a lock or crack a safe. But those days were long behind him....

Noah stood at the kitchen counter, flitting through mail, when a red envelope caught his eye. He dropped everything else and ripped the envelope open. Big, bold letters:

ATTENTION: HARVEST COMPLIANCE INSPECTION WILL TAKE PLACE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3 BETWEEN 8 A.M. AND 4 P.M.

He broke into a cold sweat as the ground dropped out from under him. That’s only two weeks away, he thought, and he was back...

Snap out of it, I tell myself. Focus.

“So I told her she didn’t need to be so…” my wife is talking but I missed the beginning. No idea who she’s talking about but I nod along.

I can still hear the ringing in my ears. No, not ringing. Screaming. I can hear screaming. Blood edges around my vision and I blink hard.

Snap out of it. It’s ringing. No one is screaming. I’m home.

Blood. So much blood....

Priest, police, please I must confess A moment to seize Before I regress

Someone, somewhere Won’t you come I’ll even swear And won’t stay mum

Come quick, come quick! I might back out This ain’t a trick! Cast away doubt

That girl you found She was my girl That girl you found Saw my rage unfurl

You see? You hear? I’m telling the truth Please come near Someone call a sleuth!

She cried and cried...

Mrs. Wylie comes in She buys a single zinnia She gives a wide grin Then heads to the Inn

She’s here every day Buys the same flower N’er a full bouquet Then leaves without delay...