Posts Tagged ‘Water’
Jul
Heatwave
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
They slept in front of stores closed for the day. Others pushed personal belongings in shopping carts.
A young woman missing front teeth stared upward as I passed. I crossed the street aware of an underweight cat doing likewise ahead.
“You have more?” I caught my partner off guard, showing the contents of my opened bag.
“How many you need?”
“At least a dozen.”
“That’s all I have,” he grimaced.
I resumed my mission as the sun lowered into its nighttime place, knowing that at some point I won’t have enough bottles of water to distribute to those in need.
From guest contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs
Jul
Seawater
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“Ed, I can’t go on.”
“What do you mean, Mel?”
“The water… I can take seawater.”
“Mel, snap out of it. We’re in the middle of the desert. We’re dying of thirst.”
“No water?… You mean that isn’t the ocean right over there?”
“No, it’s the desert. Just sand and more endless sand.”
“No giant waves, huh?”
“Mel, you’re hallucinating. You’re delirious.”
The sun beat down. Its photons were brutal. The high energy particles must have penetrated Mel’s skull.
“No seaweed? No ocean?”
“No, Mel.”
“Thank God… You know, Ed, I always get a little nauseous when I swallow seawater.”
From Guest Contributor David Sydney
Jun
Feel Good, Inc.
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The instructions were supposed to be quite simple to follow, but to Charlie the line drawings could have been hieroglyphs for all the sense they made. In frustration, he tore open the packaging and pushed out one capsule after another, swallowing each with a large mouthful of water.
After a few minutes, his anxiety began melting away, replaced by a pleasant euphoria he hadn’t felt in ages. Whatever had been bothering him no longer mattered.
Someone called out from a great distance, using a name he didn’t recognize. They seemed very upset. He held out his last few pills invitingly.
Apr
The Wait
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I woke up early and went for a jog. As I followed the path through the park, I listened to nature. The sounds of the birds singing, and the squirrels running up trees were a sign of early spring. It was an unusually hot day in March, so the park benches were filled with people. I had water in my pouch and took a sip. It felt good going down into the pit of my stomach.
After, I sat I checked my phone. There it was, the message I had been waiting for.
My first novel was accepted for publication.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
Sep
Dead Flowers
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I was still in my twenties. A woman at the bar grabbed my arm and asked for my help. But I also would have rather done the tying than be the one tied up. Faraway in time, my doctor was phoning me with the results of the biopsy. I had what he called “an oddball cancer.” Of course, I did. What other kind would a poet have? The woman, her back now to me, was singing along with the jukebox about all the lonely people, a small, crumpled sound like foul dead flower water at the bottom of a vase.
From Guest Contributor Howie Good
Howie’s newest poetry collection, Heart-Shaped Hole, is available from Laughing Ronin Press. He co-edits the online journal UnLost, dedicated to found poetry.
Aug
Good Boy, Charlie
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Even the dog knew it was a mistake. So much had happened at the lake house, and yet, nothing ever changed. Her father stood at the end of the dock, slouching.
Charlie whined and wagged, as if to say, “Really? Again?!”
“Didn’t think you’d come,” he said.
“I just want her ashes. Then I’ll leave.”
He stared, eyes piercing, his face sharp.
“Your mother wanted to be here.”
“My mother wanted to be safe.”
Jayne released Charlie from his leash. He burst forward, sending her father off the dock.
“Good boy,” Jayne praised Charlie, wiping the water from her face.
From Guest Contributor Kate McGovern
Aug
Gone Fishing
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The fish hook didn’t stir in the stillness of the water.
There’s a dark, ominous look in the sky. Not the sunny, warm weather the forecasters predicted.
The shore wasn’t far, so I stayed on course and waited. I wished I had something to drink. The air was humid, and my lips quenched water.
In the tiny row boat, I felt lonely, especially since no one else was on the lake and my only companions were the birds chirping in the trees.
A bolt of lightning filled the sky, followed by claps of thunder.
Then the downpour.
No fish today.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
May
Endurance
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
When Henrik asks me to hide his wife and son, I don’t hesitate.
Every day, I bring food and water to the sewer where I’ve hidden them. I feel it’s safer than hiding them in my house when the Nazis show no boundaries in searching homes.
Unfortunately, it’s not the accommodation I hoped for, but Henrik and his family are grateful. The resistance has brought more people into the hiding space and so they are no longer alone.
It saddens me, but I fight along with my comrades for a better life in our country.
And so, we all endure.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
May
Saturday Jog
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Jogging through the park, I keep the pace feeling energetic and free. The breeze against my cheeks feels refreshing and the chirping birds fill the air with song.
It’s crowded for a Saturday morning and parents are up early with their children. I pass two women pushing their young children on the swings as the boys soar high and chortle. Other joggers pass and smile contently.
I finish my lap and take a seat on the bench gulping water.
After breakfast and a shower, I will go about my regular weekend visiting my dad in the nursing home memory unit.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
May
Dreams In Green
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Standing here on this frigid night, I look out over a frozen landscape, and I can’t help but wonder why?. There is still hope. Maybe one day, this land will come back to life, the trees will grow, the water will flow, and the air will smell fresh and clean.
I can still feel the excitement coursing through me, the sense of wonder at seeing something so beautiful. The land of ice and snow holds a strange sort of magic.
But the land is not dead. It’s only sleeping, waiting for inspiration or something green to grow the days away.
From Guest Contributor J. Iner Souster