My neighbors go quiet every so often. And on occasions, they’re as loud as a Saturday market. I can tell they’re a couple, unless their idea of “casual” also means living together. Their instability is loud. I can’t quite make out their day-long arguments, but I hear the yelling, the sobbing, and the door slamming….
If they’re intimidated by the thorn, they don’t deserve the flower. It’s taken a lot of tears and a self-diagnosed clinical state of denial to reach this emotionally intelligent level. I’ve come to understand that you can have a heart of gold—the biggest, softest, and kindest of them all, and genuinely believe deep within your…
Gera got behind the wheel. They were heading back home after spending a full morning, and eventually noon, at Tina’s. On the passenger’s seat, Meena. She sat quietly. Her eyes moving over her right shoulder as she looked at the colorful trees they drove by. From the moment she left Adam’s room, there was a…
This creative nonfiction short story, originally published in 2014, has been relaunched! I thought it would be nice to offer my readers a few free copies as reintroduction (well, it’s also what you’re supposed to do when you’re an unknown author, right?) [laughs nervously]. So, I have a promotion going from February 14 thru the 18th, the…
The year was…doesn’t matter. I just remember it was cold and lonely in a lively city that was supposed to be warmer than what I was used to. I asked the few new friends I’d made if they knew of any shelter looking for volunteers for Thanksgiving. Once I realized I was asking the wrong…
It’s the 3AM thoughts that leave a lump in your throat, eyes that won’t shut, habits can’t adjust a brain that ignores you’re already f**ked Because life keeps giving you more than you can any longer handle, like scrambled foreign words you can’t even begin to unscramble The recurring mind-wandering put your will power to…
I’m sitting here going between my keyboard and my turmeric tea, wondering where to begin. Sip. Type. Backspace. Sip. Type. Backspace… The thing is somebody created an account on Instagram pretending to be me in order to sell sex products. That’s right; somebody out there — who either hates me or has nothing better to…
I knew it as soon as I got in the car. I knew you’d be a friendly chatty guy. “I’ll call you right back, I’ll call you right back,” you said to whomever was on the phone, hanging up at the speed of light. Then, you greeted me with all smiles and that line. “Tell…
Just Browsing is a story I’m currently writing / publishing on the new Kindle Vella. Below is an excerpt. Go check it out and feel free to leave me some feedback! “So who contacted who first?” “They hit me up, of course.” “Too scared to make the first move?” “More like too broke,” Meena replied….
I ask myself today what’s changed? Heart beating with the same ache, People I’ve loved so long can’t reciprocate, And I settled for crumbs they call affection Given all my attention, dealt with their rejection; I understand it was f—ked up, in retrospection. Today I tried to numb the pain again, day by day, But…
Hot but calm afternoon, clear sky; no signs of potential torrential rain, no canceled flights. As customary, when one is part of my family, I was running on a tight schedule. My mom was making dinner and hoped I’d eat before I left the house. “I won’t have time,” I said. But, in anticipation of…
I don’t know how or when it started the first time I told myself these lies, grown so tall it’s hard to find the truth hidden somewhere deep in the twisted roots. One more night, I kept saying. And then it was two…and three… and it seems now too infinite to count. How do I…