Some people’s victory tastes sweet, like freshly picked strawberries after a barren winter. The color is rich, and the juice spills out when you bite into it. You can taste the sunlight in the red and see the ripe in their smile. They are satisfied and they show it.

Others’ victory tastes sour, like lemonade made without sugar. They gulp it down too quickly on a hot summer day, expecting a fresh ...

Blue; deep blue. Like the surface of the ocean at night. Her eyes wide. She doesn’t often smile, but when she does, it’s deep blue. She is a cloud; she holds the weight of waves behind her eyes. She looks down, but not on others. She stands tall with her chin up, at five foot two. She smiles, but she won’t smile at you.

Brown; warm brown. Like the fur coat of a feline in the sun. Closed mind, op...

Space is a vacuum; I’d guess it would feel like nothing

But it doesn’t feel like nothing

It feels like ocean

Vast, deep

I am a wave

Forming far away from the shore

And instead of crashing,

I retreat again, slowly.

I’ve been here before

It’s good to be back

I feel both lost and as if I’ve finally found my path

Peace, peace

I smile into the abyss

Trying to savor it

Not willing to admit it

But the o...

Where do you go when you’ve never seen the world?

Tuk. Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.

Careful, they said, else you’ll get stuck like them.

She listens to her breathing. The air against her nostrils. The exhale is just enough to shift the candy bar wrapper in her lap.

Tuk. Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.

She notices her shoulders feel tight, so she forces them away from her ears. Relax, she tells herself. She feels the ...

Smile for me. Please.

Even if it’s a lie—I don’t care, I just want to see you smile. Just once.

I don’t… I don’t think I can do that.

-No. He has to. He has to. I felt the pain it took for him just to be able to say those words. But he has to. I need him to.-

No, no, you have to. You can be happy. You can get better. Please. I need to see it.

-I taste the salt that clogs my eyes. I...

This is an excerpt from one of my book ideas. I likely will not finish it, but I love this scene. Enjoy!

——

He chuckles, a low, genuine sound that starts from his belly. “Calm down, Apple Holler. You’re too smart for your own good. We’re at a party, and you’re still thinking about work.”

My cheeks flush. “Right. Sorry.” I don’t want to bother him about my conspiracies if he’s not interested.

...

Join me where the fairies sing

Over the rocks resembling giants’ limbs,

Memories of their bodies set in stone

As if they’re still there; as if you can hear

The music of their breath

Rise

And fall.

Join me where the children play

Among the gnomes and toadstools

We can get there by a dragon’s wing

Or by riding the waves of the ocean,

Almost becoming the water itself,

Rising

And falling.

Join ...

Stars shine solitary

Lovely daughters lost their mother

Smile as they search for her

Among their average days

Quiet but not conservative

She sought her sunken ship

Now every night her daughters sigh

A goodnight is not goodbye

The daughters are now mothers

As they have children of their own

Their days are full of joy and demure

A growth from gardens sown

A second chance to be a mother

To welcome...

I try

And I try

And I try

And I try

My effort stretched for miles

If laid out in a line.

Higher than high

My goals in the sky

I did everything I could

To bring them to life

I tried. I really did.

The late nights

Little sleep

Lost track of time

Forgot to eat

I pushed...

She keeps the doors unlocked.

Ada works as a baker. Her shop is on the corner, making the whole block smell good. The cozy booths and turquoise chairs give the shop a contemporary feel. Her croissants and eclairs are regarded as the best in the country. She lives above her bakery with a cat and a fish tank. She has no children of her own, so she often visits her sister’s house, as she has a husb...