Your face will freeze that way

August 2, 2013January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 11 Comments

I have one of those faces, one of those "she-should-smile-more" faces. I've lost count of how many times I've been asked if I'm angry, when I don't realize that I've been frowning. Some of it is my extreme myopic eyesight. Squinting is a necessary by-product. Some of it is that I'm constantly thinking some deep philosophical … Continue reading Your face will freeze that way

Send in the clowns

July 31, 2013January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 14 Comments

“Will there be ice cream and cake?” She ignored his question, pulling at the fleece blanket she had wrapped around her. Plopping down on the ottoman at the foot of her oversized chair, he poked at her, trying to get an answer. “Cake?” Twisting the hem of her blanket, she drew the edge up to … Continue reading Send in the clowns

Mix tape afternoon

July 30, 2013January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 21 Comments

The term was winding down. Two more days of finals and summer break would begin. I had my last test that morning, so I made plans to meet him for lunch. Headed home to work at my aunt and uncle’s restaurant, our usual college crew was coming back for the tourist season. I was looking … Continue reading Mix tape afternoon

A fertile mind

July 30, 2013January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 12 Comments

It's a merciless life. Awake before the sun, working the earth until long after the sun sets. Turning the hard packed soil where rocks are more plentiful than crops, a back- and spirit-breaking effort that never ends. My field is my mind, my plough is my pen. I toil to cultivate a crop of words … Continue reading A fertile mind

Fading scars

July 29, 2013January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 36 Comments

First responders splinter locked front doors with sledge hammers while searching for survivors, but find more victims instead. Wooden jambs swollen from filthy flood waters keep out rescuers more efficiently than steel bolts dissuade looters. Going house to house, the quiet is ominous. Where sounds of laughing children and barking dogs were once block music, … Continue reading Fading scars

Blue velvet

July 26, 2013January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 34 Comments

Elvis on blue velvet, sexy and luxurious. Deep, dark and sultry, a mysterious veil is drawn over the world. His bold silhouette stands against the sapphire sky, glowing embers set the fringe ablaze.