Caught On Tape

Funny, no one notices who is watching them. Overhead cameras, hidden inside rooftop owls, are wired to scare away drifting seagulls eating garbage bin leftovers. Genius: catching two birds with one shot—two kinds of thieves that never pay attention. 24/7: every move recorded, like clockwork. The boss reads the tape & sees you hustle into the crowded store, stopping first at the newsstand for a free newspaper; then, heading to the back where wild caught clams sit on crushed ice. It’s always a gamble, perched there like a fixture, until they switch off the lights for the night shift.

From Guest Contributor M.J. Iuppa

M.J.'s fourth poetry collection is This Thirst (Kelsay Books, 2017). For the past 31 years, she has lived on a small farm near the shores of Lake Ontario. Check out her blog: mjiuppa.blogspot.com for her musings on writing, sustainability & life’s stew.

Grief

Arriving home, Sally is greeted by police at the main door.

“Thieves have systematically worked over every condo in this block. Apartments have been robbed, trashed or vandalized, your apartment badly. We have a grief counselor on hand for you.”

The police accompanying Sally to inspect the crime scene hold open the door for her revealing a distressing sight of man-made mayhem.

“I’m sorry you have to see this. Has anything immediately obvious been stolen?”

Sally slowly takes in the shocking scene of devastation before saying, “No. This is how I left it this morning. I was in a rush.”

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor living in Brisbane, Australia. The acting experience has inspired a latent desire to write. Barry is enjoying the challenge of writing in 100 words.