A Moment in the Used Book Store

A Moment in the Used Book Store | By Kevin Barnes

A dog-eared paperback copy of The Bell Jar smells of poet's ink. Like the smart girl with dishwasher blonde hair who sat in front of me in eighth grade English, always reading, who I never had the nerve to talk to. The scent of her shampoo, 99% pure, as she turned toward the laughter of the popular girls two rows over; her eye in profile, a sapphire dreaming in the pale blushed peach down of her cheek, scrubbed fresh and ready for another night of silent tears no one would understand. Her fingers smell of lead and pencil flesh, as she underscores and annotates every thought and feeling as they glisten, sharp and bright, within the pages of a story she will never bring herself to write. A bound book- blank, wordless- pressed paper dreaming of being trees again, like a garden on fire in Eden's first Spring, where words would light and nest then take to the sky again with her song, with sunlight and starlight and raven black wings.

And I never had the nerve to talk to her.

I hold the book. I breath her in.

Then I leave her on the shelf.

Unauthorized use or copying is strictly prohibited without the authors written permission.

Is The Third Time A Charm | By Joyce Carles

Drinking orange flavored Fanta, I really didn't want to be here. The last two vacations with my family had been to the same country. It was my fault. My sister-in law, Kathy, had called me about going on a cruise. I was excited as there were a few places I'd never seen before. When we spoke again she said her sons and their wives wanted to do a family vacation and one had suggested another cruise that stopped in Panama. I had finished a book on building the Panama Canal, so I was in. The next few phone calls included different itinerary, after the last call I said, "Work it out, you don't have to call. Make the arrangements and tell me where I'm going." I'm not sailing in the Caribbean, not sailing at all, I'm in Mexico for the third year in a row with my family; just a different resort. I'd already tried doing the tour of Chichen Itza and Tulum on two other years so my nephew surprised me by suggesting 'The Jungle Tour'. I immediately said...

My Friendly Strangers| Phil Yoho

This is my story about the many strangers that I meet on almost a daily basis. These people may be alone or consist of a mixed group of male and female adults. Too, there are sometimes children involved, but not very often. Our meetings are always outside as they occur the South Park Dog Park, near my home. Of course, weather is the reason that I am unable to make the visit there each day. It’s a given that I have a partner to meet and greet people with. My pooch, Copper, is now about five years old and loves people, especially women. Our trip to the park takes only ten minutes and Copper is usually whining and jumping to exit the car. The fun starts once we are parked near the gazebo, where people usually congregate. Typically, there are many cars parked side-by-side with many strangers preparing to walk with their pets. Not every stranger is exiting with a pet, as some people are ready for a walk alone or with a companion. Copper though, will often spot a strange pooch and head f...

Summer Premonition| By Genea Webb

Golden sun rays warm shoulders Turquoise skies and cotton clouds bring thoughts Of crystal clear water Soothing brown sand And lazy-day ice cream socials The sleeping Lilly awakens after months of slumber While tree branches spout pistachio-colored leaves That signal its beginning A new start Following the Earth's cold chill Cardinals and Blue Jays Sing songs of revival Hinting at summer's return Copyright, Genea Webb, September 22, 2022. Unauthorized use or copying i s strictly prohibited without the authors written permission.

Pleasant Hills Public Library Scribe's Sanctuary: A Writer's Group

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