Daily Writing Features

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A woman remembers her mother and next door neighbor as she watches grackles on her patio. By Marley Greiner. READ THE POEM.

Esther Bonilla Read "My Mother Finally Speaks Up"

Mother and Daddy came from Mexico, and after they met and married, followed the Mexican protocol in raising their families. My father was the head of the family and made all decisions. READ THE REST

Duane Anderson

Waterfalls of Summer

As I flew into Omaha,

the sweat flowed down my face.

It was a memory of the past,

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JOEL ORTIZ "Confessions of a hyphenated Alien Spice Eater"

I was raised in the slums, or barrios as my tribe called them, in Corpus Quetzal. I was born before the great upheaval of 3663 ac. Before the Europeans began their slow progression across the tough Tejas terrain, which was rough on those pink westaches, but us pocos knew how to survive.

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Clara Tamez "The Just Before"

“Would you still love me if I didn’t have teeth?”

“Did you wake up with them gone or did you get into an accident?” Jaydon’s voice sounds a little hollow as it always does over the prison phone line. “Or were you born without them somehow?”

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Julie Corpus "Her Cross to Bear"

The beast beats up his wife
For no other reason, than to
Assert his manhood,

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Matthew Platz "Pills"

Every night before I sleep, there, in my palm they gather.

Together they join little hands and dance their little dance and sing a merry tune.

A sinister nursery rhyme of sorts like children at recess passing the time.

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Frank Rodriguez "Once Upon A Nightmare"

That smile, that dang demented smile. It looms over the crevices of my soul. Shrouding the depths of my vision, blinding my reasons of existence. Why does nobody see it.

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Elizabeth Flores "Tribute"

I wish I knew the boy's name.

He paid tribute to my dad,

a man I'm sure he didn't know,

as we left St. Joseph’s Church on

19th Street and headed to Holy Cross Cemetery.

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Joseph Wilson "I ALWAYS KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH ME

one hundred years ago

my grandfather

Paul Herbert Cline

fought in WW One

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GHOUL TALK by Mona Schroeder

The coffee shop buzzes with conversation when Lucy enters, the delightful smells of caffeinated beverages and fresh pastries in the air. She sees Mary at a table right away and gives her a friendly wave before ordering a pumpkin spice coffee and then joining her. READ THE REST

Carol Mays

Church Bullies

Hey! It’s great to see you again! The last time we visited, I was ranting about my trailer and then the HOA in my neighborhood. Well, now I’m angry about my church. I’ve been to a lot of them, and they are all the same. It doesn't matter what religion it is--Protestant, Catholic, whatever

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Lucas Jasso "Crabby"

My granny brought clothes when I was a young tot. My mother bought clothes for me until I got married, and then my wife bought my clothes. That practice, by the three females in my life, made me develop anxiety. Returning from the Viet Nam War, the anxiety grew worse.

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Donna Huddleston "Customary Prayers for Marie"

"I’m only thirty-four years old,” Marie said. “I’m too young to die.”

That morning, she ran away from her husband, ten-month-old daughter, and four-year-old son. She drove to an emergency room a hundred and fifty miles away, hoping for a different prognosis and then came back home.

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Last Call at the Armageddon Bar by Kristopher Cisneros

the sky was bleeding.

and I’m not trying to be poetic— real blood.

it was dark and pulpy and pissed off, like God had been punched in the nose and we were caught in the spray.

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Jason Bond "Ghost Box"

Brian watched Timmy reach as far as he could under his bed. Imagining his chubby fingers tiptoeing like spider legs over dust-bunny-covered Cheetos or long-lost Lego pieces or whatever else might be under there.

“Got it!” Timmy whispered and...

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Close Call

David Carpenter

Ships don't turn like cars, they pivot. That’s not something that’s good or bad, it’s just the way things work. But there are times when this simple fact can be a big, fat pain in the ass.

It was the winter of ’77, and our ship was laid alongside a Russian freighter, port side to, snugged up tight against a set of massive battleship fenders. The Soviet fishing fleet commander was coming to town to meet with U.S. officials, but he wanted his vessel to stay outside our territorial waters. So we were there to give him a ride into Kodiak. READ THE REST

Mockingbirds are "famous for their loud, continuous, and varied songs. A male Northern mockingbird may learn up to 200 different songs in its lifetime, incorporating diverse sounds it hears in its environment. Unmated males often sing throughout the night during the breeding season. They are known for being fiercely territorial, aggressively defending their nests and young by chasing away intruders, including much larger animals and even humans. They also perform a 'wing flash' display, where they half-open their wings in jerky steps while on the ground, which may help startle insects into moving." MORE PHOTOS

Azrael Montoya "Love You"

It was hard to find you.

I really had to try.

You drove me to work and I was

thankful. Your smile was beautiful and READ THE REST

A Great Egret along Oso Creek. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their elegant plumes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the species has made a significant comeback due to conservation efforts. They can be found throughout most of the United States, with year-round populations especially common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. (Animation made from photos I took) MORE PHOTOS

Jennifer Florence "Today Was a High Gravity Day"

Today was a high gravity day -- very high gravity.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say today's gravity was at least 19.394 m/s2 in most of my house, and a solid 21.0 m/s2 in the immediate vicinity of my couch. READ THE REST

"Black Dime" (M. R. Luxemburg) from Sci-Fi Stir Fry

Remember when you stung like a bee, leaving your ink all over the kitchen floor and the orchids in the kitchen window never seemed to notice how drab the sun had become over the years? It makes no sense. All languages die in the gap. So, don't speak. READ THE REST

I took this bobcat picture about ten years ago. I also took another bobcat picture at about the same time in the same spot. No sightings since then. A neighbor told me he recently saw one. My guess is it's the child or grandchild of this one. As per Google AI overview: "Bobcats establish specific, circuitous, and regular travel routes within their territories, which they patrol every 1–3 weeks. They are solitary, territorial hunters that often use established game trails, ridgelines, and sometimes human trails for easier movement, covering 2–7 miles nightly. They also use scent markings along these routes to define their territory." MORE PHOTOS

Dr. Jim McCutchon "Zombie Revenge"

May 3, 2017

While taking a tour through Pass Christian on my way home from a trip to Biloxi, I stopped at Live Oak Cemetery to see if the gravestone had been placed on my aunt Rebecca’s grave and to just look around. Live Oak is a special cemetery to me. There are so many of my ancestors buried there. READ THE REST

Vaughn Westheimer "CHALK OUTLINE MAN"

Lightning animated the Chalk Outline Man

A work of art born on what had been a sunny day,

And he rose in a swirl, like Dali’s moustache,

A pink-yellow-blue (but mostly blue) pastel frame

Three turkey vultures and two black vultures on a street light near Oso Creek during the recent freeze. I don't recall seeing black vultures very often. As per Google AI summary, "they don't have the superior sense of smell of turkey vultures and follow the turkey vulture to find food" when times are tough. This would seem to explain their appearance during the cold. Maybe they stay when spring comes. MORE PHOTOS.

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Patricia Alaniz "Not My Shame"

I became your victim
on the floor.
Hurts to hide,
this pain inside.

ALTERVERSES Sara Etgen-Baker (from Sci-Fi Stir Fry)

What if I've lived the exact present I’m living now before,

doesn't it make sense to think of it as though...

there is another part of me in another universe,

going through the same thing?

William Walton "Or Even What Kind of Ship It Was"

Casey was very drunk. He leaned his forearms on the cold, sticky stern rail and hung his head over the side. The sea was rough, and every time the ship rolled so did his stomach. His drink sloshed over, soaking his wrist and sleeve, but none of this distracted him from the memory of stone-faced mortuary people, condolences from friends, his wife in a body bag, nights alone, and whiskey—lots of whiskey.

Casey stared down into the dark turbulence of the ship’s prop wash... READ THE REST

Cardinals are widely considered a sign of good luck, hope, and spiritual connection, often seen as messengers from loved ones in heaven, bringing blessings, joy, and vitality, with some traditions suggesting luck within 12 days of sighting one. Their vibrant red color against winter snow also symbolizes hope and the promise of spring. MORE OF MY PHOTOS

Mariah Massengill "To Be, or Used to Be"

This decrepit monster house used to be

a suite of youth and dreams

until momma heard strangers shouting in the attic

and she drowned us in her screams

IN AN ALTERNATIVE WORLD…

By Stefan Sencerz

In an alternative world number 1

when I am about 3 and a half

my father does not buy a fish

whom I befriend during a week

My Mother's Patio by Marley Greiner

I sat on my mother's patio

Drinking tea in the morning

Reading F Scott Fitzgerald

Listening to the clean silence

and the friendly sound of birds

nesting in the trees.

“Bark to Water”Tom Murphy

Ridnow pulls the boom’s quad nanotube cables in with a deft toggle adjustment to cut close haul. The Bevlon kicks in as the spacecraft speeds through the heliosphere.

Not a moment to lose, thinks Ridnow. They spyglass their stellar trail and catch a glimpse of a light beam shifting its direction, then growing brighter. READ THE REST FOR FREE

Mariah Michelle Hinojosa "Isn't it funny"

Isn’t it funny

That poetry

Is just words

We say

The Crested Caracara mates for life. They often return to the same nest to lay eggs and raise the babies. The male shares in child care. They eat both live and dead prey and will often follow vultures to poach their food.

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Black-bellied whistling ducks fly over Oso Creek. I don't know where they're going, but they do. They fly with great efficiency and urgency, whistling as they go. They fly in groups. Sometimes, there are stragglers, trailing along behind the others.

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Vultures Over Oso Creek.

According to Google Images, the one on the left is a turkey vulture, and the two on the right are black vultures. As per Wikipedia, black vultures follow turkey vultures to food sources and will evidently attack livestock, particularly calves.

MORE PHOTOS

Cardinals. See more of my photos