The Walkers

We have walked about 30,000 miles together. That’s more than once around the circumference of the earth. On clear mornings a sliver moon greets us. Autumn brings magic. From summer’s green comes a cacophony of color. Winter evenings are deeply dark. Light the torch to check the footing.

“Hey, you’re the walkers.” Our neighbors cheer. “Are you married?”

“Almost forty-five years...to each other. We’ve had many stumbles, a few un-calamitous falls but always get back up.”

“So what do you talk about?” A few have asked this. We communicate in silence. Each small step a giant leap for matrimony.

From Guest Contributor Sam Brody

Surfing

He enviously watched the surfers ride the waves. Their sharp turns and steady footing made him feel shame at this own failed attempt on the water.

A small boy of no older than twelve maneuvered gracefully on a wave that would have had him running for the safety of the beach. A group of people enthusiastically cheered and clapped for the boy, who had a large grin on his face and pumped his fist in the air.

He watched this for a moment before angrily getting up from the sand and walking away vowing to get back on his board.

From Guest Contributor Zane Castillo

Morning Run

Keep your footing steady, prepared for the slick, the slide, yourflight, your footlessness, your unexpected sky view. Run towards thehazy white clouds, the early sun's pinkish fire, the black ice--alake, a mottled mirror. You know the quiet sidewalk, the barren appletree, the forgotten field. But this sea yearning, this siren call todive deep, feet first, into the glass, the shatter--is undeniable, animmersion, a full body baptism. You suddenly find yourself splayed andshaken, flat on your back, laughing at your air walk, your feet nowhesitant, dull--the morning light cool, the day transparent,expectant.

From Guest Contributor Holiday Goldfarb

The Final Voyage

Grandfather boarded the old boat cautiously, wary of his footing. But once he'd left the docks behind, his balance actually improved. The years on shore might have accelerated his aging. We all silently hoped that being on the water might reverse his decline.

We waved optimistically as he pushed away from the pier, careful to act like this was any other departure. As Grandfather awkwardly raised the sails, he lacked the same proficiency of his younger days, though they eventually caught the wind and the boat glided away.

We cried then, knowing we'd never see Grandfather again. The horizon beckoned.

Water Pitcher

The mustard-lustered staircase was slick with California rain. Loaded with bridal shower largesse, like some kind of Sierra-Sherpa goat, I lost my footing—and lost the water pitcher over the balustrade escarpment. The abysmal fracture at your feet flashed within your eyes; oh the silence, oh the rain. There must have been other gifts, but I remember this one only, and others: forgetting to set the alarm for the eclipse, going to the airport on the wrong day, and missing Sasha's graduation. The mind adheres to misadventure like a stubborn sticker on glass. Even the dishwasher of time can't dislodge.

From Guest Contributor David C. Miller