Weed of Loyalty

The Facebook like. The happy birthday text. The ghost of a relationship long passed. Who are you now? No idea, really. When I knew you a million years ago the friendship seemed important and possibly meaningful. School-enforced proximity brought daily sightings, hellos, jokes, sometimes lunches, and always parties. Now? An itch of guilt soothed by … Read moreWeed of Loyalty

Melon Baller

Tiny garden plants snuggled into the soil arranged in tidy rows. Each day brought a little more sun and a little more warmth, as the seedlings stretched out their leaves and wriggled their roots deeper into the dirt. Two tomato plants raised side-by-side since their greenhouse days talked about the days ahead. “I’m gonna grow … Read moreMelon Baller

Chocolate Cake

Skuen and his younger brother Kadir stood near the end of a hundred-foot-long wall of peat blocks. With L-shaped spades, they cut out neat bricks of peat, looking like rich chocolate cake, and stacked them to dry in the wind. They worked the bogs year-round, with little change to their day other than the amount … Read moreChocolate Cake

Another One Bites the Dust

Cloth in hand, Donnie cleaned every bottle and lamp. He spent his days at thrift stores, dusting the shelves of discarded bric-a-brac. Clerks nodded hello and left him alone. Born into an uneasy home, Donnie’s differentness increased the strain. His father looked for someone to blame, noticed his wife, and never came home. For decades, … Read moreAnother One Bites the Dust