They carried in the tree on a frosty day, later in the dependable month of December than was usual for them. Lucille realized she was relieved they’d purchased one at all. As they navigated the lumbering pine through the narrow foyer of their old house, she made a joke at her own expense. Marnie didn’t laugh.
The platform was smoky and crowded, people elbowing each other and stepping on toes without care. Soot and smoke hung heavily in the air, blackening the clothes and faces of all there. Through all this, a girl stood, pushing herself as far into a corner as she could, to avoid all the people. Her previously blue dress was now almost black, and her hair, though protected somewhat by a supposedly white sun hat, no longer held traces of the reddish gold it was.
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ EITHER GREATER LOVE OR A STRONG FAITH THEN DONT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE. :D
“Just let me eat my lunch in peace,” Jake murmured to the girl sitting on his left. Amélie smiled mildly and took a long drag from her cigarette, then threw her head back and blew the smoke up into the air—her signature move. “I’m a dragon,” she always used to say, and then she would laugh at her own joke. She didn’t speak this time—Jake didn’t think she could.
As Christmas draws nearer and the weather gets colder, I contemplate on what the season means. To some people it means presents from Santa, reading "T'was the Night Before Christmas", singing "carols" like "Baby it's Cold Outside" "Winter Wonderland" "Jingle Bells" "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Raindeer" "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree" "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" and many more. To others it means flying to Grandma and Grandpa's place for some homemade pumpkin pie, roasted turkey, stuffing, ham, and mashed potatoes.
Affair
His hands held her face,
Cupping around her neck,
His lips met hers,
Enveloped hers,
Making my heart quicken,
My breath catch,
And unsettling yearning grip my gut,
Aching.
Goes Dark
You know, you know
By now I don't need you
I do, I do
I know this is true
I was thinking, start thinking
About back in those days
They feel ultra cloudy
Like we lived in a haze
For a time
And I realize
You weren't going to stay
It doesn't even feel like you
Could have
Even if you'd leaned toward
Forgiving me
If you'd wanted to
For a while after it happened
I would have
Forgiven you
For forsaking me the reasons to be
Forgiven
Jed (novella excerpt)
Martje II (novel excerpt)
I'm feeling those 8,481 miles more than before.
I didn't fully recognize how much I'd miss you
until you had already gotten up and left.
I find myself relaying stories about
all the funny things you've done
I miss your undeniable eccentricity,
nobody can claim that they have a friend like you.
4:40pm Texas time, 3:40am on the "treeless dune of sand".
I wonder if you're sleeping or if you're sitting up, awake,
thinking about coming home or about how your birthday
is tomorrow and you have to spend it in a country that you hate.