Decay

“See this here? This is dry rot. This tree is ruined.”

The kids gathered around. “Ewwwww... that’s gross”. The boys were fascinated and started kicking at the fallen tree trunk.The underside, roots and dirt clumps were exposed as the once mighty tree laid on it’s side.   Chunks of wood eaten away by decay. If you looked closer you could see where the fungus had eaten away the insides. A white trail of a sponge like substance had found it’s way to the trunk’s inner core and starting eating away at it’s goodness. Obviously left unattended for years, with no recourse or treatment on getting better the tree collapses. There is no more goodness to keep it upright and standing. It’s foundation wrecked. 

The kids had scampered ahead. We were done with the botanical part of the zoo and now onto something more exciting ..the lions. 

I held back and let the kids run ahead without me. I took them to the Springfield Botanical Gardens and Zoo because I needed to get outside of my head. I needed a distraction. I needed the kids to not need me today. 

Last night was bad. Paul came home and the arguing started almost immediately. We argued about everything and about nothing at the same time. When our words took us nowhere we moved on to the silent treatment. Pretending that we just don’t care. I went to bed alone and tried to sleep. Sleep that was difficult because my brain and my heart were engaging in their own battle. A battle of shattered thoughts and broken dreams.  He slept on the couch and was gone when I woke up this morning. A routine that is now the norm.

I looked at the tree with a familiar sadness. Looking at the decayed, rotting tree I saw my marriage. Something once strong, towering upwards toward the sky has now crumpled down to the ground falling into ruin. A marriage left unattended for years and is now in ruin.


This post inspired by the folks at Trifecta. Be sure to stop by there and meet some awesome people!

Trifecta Challenge/33 words

33 words? And in a poem no less? 

How is a newbie like me suppose to get this?

Ahhhh this is hard I must confess.

Ahhhh and yes I found my bliss!

Post inspired by the Trifecta Writing Challenge! 

Spectacle

"Why does Dad have to such a spectacle of himself? Jenny said to her mom as they waited for the 4th of July parade to start. 

"Because it is the only day of the year he gets to feel tall. And besides the parade can’t start without him”

We sit curbside with all the other families. Fidgety children running out into the street. 

Suddenly my dad appears from around the corner. The crowd starts cheering as Uncle Sam walks by leading the parade on ten foot stilts. 

My dad smiling and waving as he does every year. I smile back.

This post inspired by Velvet Verbosity and the 100 word challenge!

I have no choice

I pull open the heavy door to Sparky’s Bar.  I feel another piece of my soul break off and shame fill the empty place left behind. I don’t want to be here but I have no other choice.  I need to quiet the demons that reside in my mind and is fed by the ugliness I spend all day fighting. The consequence is that I end up taking them home with me.

The dark coolness and faint dismal odor of wet carpet greet me as I walk past the abandoned game of pool and sit at the bar. 

“Bill, pour me two today”. 

I watch as the bartender line up two shot glasses and fill them with Irish whiskey. He places the two short tumblers on the dark sticky counter in front of me. 

“A rough day today detective?” 


I don't answer him as I knock back the first one.

 I stare down at the remaining shot of mahogany liquid of comfort I can feel the hot tears stinging the back of my eyes.

"Damn it" I curse silently.


 From the bottom of the glass shattered dreams and bodies stare back at me with vacant eyes of death.  I  hold the glass up to my trembling lip and gulp it down in one swallow. I wait for the alcohol to quiet the restless din of the demons. 

A short time later I pull a ten dollar bill out of my flat badge case and toss it on the bar.  I stand up to leave.

“Good Night Detective. See you tomorrow.” Bill says.

“I have no choice”,  I mumbled as I pushed opened the door and head home hoping once again that the demons will let me sleep tonight.

This is the first time I have ever submitted anything! Feels scary yet exciting!

I am ready

The universe seems so scary when one starts something new. Something exciting. Something past the comfort zone.

I am putting it out there to the world that I am a writer.