Dear mother

February 8, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 10 Comments

Her heart monitor beeps were in sync with the pain that radiated through her body. The slightest movement sent electric shocks through every nerve. Shallow breaths were all she could stand, the ache keeping her just at the brink of consciousness. If she could have spoken, she would have begged for mercy, a released from … Continue reading Dear mother

Derelict

February 7, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 11 Comments

In a forgotten bayou, secluded and pristine, a siege of herons wade through the tannic waters, searching for niblets of mussels and succulent minnows. Keeping the choice morsels away from thieving ibis. Derelict, abandoned to the elements, the dock crumbles onto itself, hanging on by sheer force of will. Hoping to again hear the happy … Continue reading Derelict

Reflecting

January 31, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 24 Comments

I look like I know what I'm doing. Black rubber-encased camera with a custom-made neck strap; a 55-200mm zoom expertly twisted into place; long hair expertly encased in a black ball cap; capped off by a tan field vest with its many pockets filled with prime lenses, filters, and batteries - I am the very … Continue reading Reflecting

The interview

January 29, 2012January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 8 Comments

I had interviewed authors before, but this one was going to be more difficult than anything else I’d done. At least with other writers whose work I didn’t like, because they wrote about an uninteresting topic or a literary genre I found dull, I could still find a way to make the review compelling. I … Continue reading The interview

Love letters

January 28, 2012January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 20 Comments

Before Internet, before email, they wrote love letters to each other. She tied them with a red ribbon, secreting them away in the rafters of the attic so they wouldn't scandalize their children. A little Trifecta lagniappe, or a Trifextra, for the weekend. A love story challenge, written in only 33 words. Backstory: my husband … Continue reading Love letters

Icarus

January 26, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 9 Comments

Breaking the bounds of earth, I soar above the eagles and angels. True freedom, untethered and alive. Reaching ever upward, I touch the face of the sun. The wind rushing in my ears, I skim mountain tops, scooping fists full of virgin snow to slate my parched throat. The ripest, sweetest fruit from the highest … Continue reading Icarus