Cloudy Day

Nothing hurts like the pain in my chest or the ache in my head. Thoughts of my grandma’s last embrace grip me. I look up, expecting to see her face in the clouds, but all I see is rain. Perhaps, her tears appear as raindrops, and her face is only visible to angels. I was once her angel. She took with her my wings, the same ones that gave me the strength to fly above obstacles. I hold her umbrella above me, her scarf wrapped around my neck. Some say I inherited her kindness, the only inheritance that truly matters.

From Guest Contributor Ernestina Aggrey

Nature

NATURE SUBMISSION:

I watch the red cardinal swoop from tree to tree and chirp in unison with the other birds while flapping its wings. The air is crisp and the sun abundant. The breeze gives a slight chill, so I wrap a scarf around my neck and continue planting.

The sun begins to fade, and the birds disappear into the sky. I wipe my forehead and remove the gardening gloves.

As I sit with my feet up sipping a cold glass of water, I say a silent prayer that the pandemic ends, and we are free as the birds flying this earth.

From Guest Contributor Lisa Scuderi-Burkimsher

Let It Snow

The endless snow was really starting to get to him. With every slippery step, he cursed silently through the scarf wrapped around his mouth.

He saw a woman with an oversized hat and coat moving toward him through the snow. She looked up at him with snowflakes on her face and gave him a large smile.

“Let it snow, let it snow,” She said in a singsong voice while walking past him. He stared at her in complete surprise.

Her singing continued as he watched her plod away. He shook his head in disbelief but could not help but smile.

From Guest Contributor Zane Castillo

Bringing Back The Dead

She gasped as he removed the scarf from his face.

"Don't be afraid my love, I'm here," he whimpered, choking back tears, "see me, see me for all that I am."

Silence. Gut-wrenching silence.

Anguished, she bowed her head. With one deep breath she finally let him go. "The man I loved is not in this room, I do not see him before me."

"You wear his face but he is not you, you are not he." She turned to the door, her lip quivered, her voice shook as she softly uttered their final exchange, "Goodbye darling, you're free now."

From Guest Contributor Jodi S. Ivers

Outdoor Wedding

Her friends all warned her against him. They said she was crazy. He was too different. People would judge her. Eventually she'd grow bored. What would her parents think? Where would they ever find a priest to perform the ceremony?

Janet ignored them all. They didn't understand. This was what she'd always dreamed of. They'd realize they'd been wrong. He was patient and sturdy. Plus it would come with an outdoor wedding.

Her friends refused to come. They said it wasn't right to marry a tree stump, even if it did have a nice hat and scarf wrapped around it.