Tea and dissidence

February 17, 2014January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 10 Comments

She sits across the table from me, stirring a small teaspoon of artificial sweetener in her orange pekoe. I squeeze a dollop of agave nectar into my red rooibos, letting it melt into the hot liquid. We savor the heady aroma of our brews, silent but still communicating in a way only a parent and … Continue reading Tea and dissidence

Memories for sale

February 15, 2014February 16, 2014 ~ Tara R. ~ 4 Comments

The house looks smaller than I remembered. I can see tarpaper under some of the broken roofing tiles. The driveway's crumbling shoulders and huge cracks running through the asphalt are big enough to swallow the yellow Corvair my dad once parked under the carport. Dingy, colorless vinyl siding covers the original stone façade. Looking around … Continue reading Memories for sale

Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2014January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 6 Comments

I saw her standing in front of the greeting cards. She was far enough away that she couldn't leaf through the selection of valentines, but close enough to read the sappy sentiments. With a melancholy look on her face, an occasional smile would threaten, only to be subdued by her sad eyes. She held her … Continue reading Valentine’s Day

On the rocks

February 11, 2014January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 16 Comments

Several years ago, WordPress introduced a Reblog function. If readers want a post from another site, click a button and it's published, in an abbreviated form (55 words), on their site. Attribution and a direct link to the original post is included, but so is any photo that is featured at the top of the … Continue reading On the rocks

Sand script

February 11, 2014February 16, 2014 ~ Tara R. ~ 10 Comments

Gleaming in the moonlight, the unblemished sand is the perfect slate for my vitriolic complaints. A storm-torn quill, plucked from the befouled backside of a garbage-eating gull, is my mighty sword. Digging deep into the sand, I gouge out a litney of aspersions towards those who perpetrated wrongs against me. Listing them in their entirety, … Continue reading Sand script

Laundry day

February 10, 2014January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 36 Comments

I once luxuriated on a blanket of fragrant rose petals you scattered around our bedroom. Disillusioned, my hands protected by sterile latex, I now use metal tongs to gather skid-marked tighty-whiteys.