People.

People from all walks of life.

different languages,

customs and habits.

People move about in a certain way,

they smile a certain way,

even argue a certain way.

People are the intelligence

we come to learn and grow from.

Places.

No two places are the same,

just as no two thoughts,

no two people.

Low buildings to highrises,

Houses built looking the same,

yet inside, decorated differently.

People place their personal touch;

their beauty of decoration.

Ideas.

We all have them.

Without them,

we have nothing.

With them,

possibilities are endless.

Take one person, one idea.

Two people multiply thought,

and so on ... endless.

Love.

People care.

People hold passion,

and just not for love itself.

It could be their idea,

their home,

or ideas that bring them harmony.

With all these things combined,

there is a story within to write.

Five days to write.

Five minutes to post time.

Five seconds to smile as you read.

Simple joy in knowing,

writer's make reader's pleased,

saddened, angered, joyful.

If only I could see the faces

when they read.

It may be hard for some to comprehend, but Death is a woman and so is Life. It is through women that all life enters, so naturally it would be through women that all life exits.

In Judaism she is called Azrael. In Islam she is known as Malak al-Mud. Shintoism has Izanami, the goddess of both death and life.

The Maori have goddess Hine-Nui-te-po. The trickster demigod Maui wanted to make humans immortal, so he transformed himself into a worm. He then attempted to enter her through her vagina and leave through her mouth, thus reversing the natural cycle of birth and death. Hine-Nui-te-po was awoken at once, and crushed Maui to death with teeth inside her vagina. He is considered to be the first man to die.

While many view her in a negative life, she is our liberator. Like how the Hindu goddess Kali teaches us that we our beings of spirit, not of flesh. She liberates us from delusions and false realities. We are freed from our suffering because of her.

Death cannot be reversed, and neither can life. It is fruitless to wish you had never been born, because you are here now. And that is all that matters.

What Would It Take

Would it take a raging river,

for me to survive to get to the other side.

Would it take a fiery blaze,

to escape unharmed to a place of safety.

Would it take earth to open up,

swallow me whole that I give my life for yours.

No matter the moment in question,

my life for yours is what I choose.

Real love for someone,

has no obstacles, no boundaries.

Kosmas Manos from Ikaria 48

Aggie and Artie were visiting Elana and Rafael at their new home. They found them outside in the back working. Artie carried a basket of grapes and figs.

“Aggie and Artie are here.” Elana called to Rafael.

“Good let's take a little break. My muscles are still here and they're telling me so. Let's go inside and bring our lunch and drinks out. We have enough for four.” laughed Rafael.

The inside was still being finished but the kitchen looked completely finished. Everything except for the refrigerator,and modern stove was recycled materials. Even the old wood stove was a recycle. The small bathroom was also made of recycled materials. Agatha said they looked new. Elana said actually they were new but some silly woman wanted to change the color of her bathroom and told Demetrius to carry them off. She had just bought them three months before. If you ever need anything fixed get in line for Demetrius or his workers.

Agatha said: “Oh I do love this kitchen. Did you help place the tiles behind the wood stove? I love the way they intermingle with the many shades of blue.”

“Actually Adelpha came in and helped set the tiles up for the workers to place them on the wall. Aristotle used all the leftover paints to finish off the wall decoration tree mural. Come look over here in the corner behind the lightweight privacy curtains.”

“Why it looks like you have a little bed in the forest. What a wonderful idea. Elana! Rafael! You could move in here right now.” said Artie.

Rafael went on to tell Artie they actually have slept in the little forest cove and with the curtains closed they slept in the nude. You and Aggie ought to try sleeping that way he went on. Whispering it made them feel young again.

Meanwhile Elana and Aggie were setting the table with lunch, red wine and some of the grapes and figs. After grace they ate heartily.

“Tomorrow we are going to the orphanage with Hilda again. There are three siblings ages nineteen, eighteen and almost seventeen. A brother and two sisters. They have been there for fifteen years now. Their parents were killed in an accident. There was no next of kin so they came to the orphanage.

No one wanted to adopt three children but the orphanage would not allow them to be split up. They are going to come to our place and help us with the weed problem on the back lot. Melina and Cicero will have them sleep in their house because they have lots of rooms. The orphanage approved for them to come and learn how to make a little money. The two older ones already help work at the orphanage because they really could leave but will not because of their little sister's age of sixteen. We are excited to have them.” said Agatha.

Artie said he and Aggie would drive their 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe Style-line Station Wagon they had bought at an auction.

“It's old and the paint faded but everything works well. We got it for a great price and snapped it up. We figured we could use it as a camper if we wanted. With an extra row of seats in the back, the station wagon could comfortably seat 8 adults. If extra space is required then the back row could easily be removed giving lots of cargo space.”

The next day the five went off to the orphanage. Hilda had boxes full of new clothing for the children. Jocasta and Moraitis sent oranges and more lemons for the children.

The orphanage received the clothing and citrus food with happiness.

Basil, Maia and Alexa Palma came back with Aggie and Artie to their home. They had been there three weeks and enjoyed being in a real home. Basil and Maia had learned from the orphanage how to use a computer and logged into the orphanage office every night to let them know how they were doing. Alexa spoke to her friend on the computer in French. Aggie asked her why she spoke French to her brother and sister around her home.

“Oh we used that language at the orphanage so the others would not know what we were saying. It's a sibling thing. I can teach you French if you would like.”

The three of them stayed with Aggie and Artie for three months. Alexa did teach Aggie French and Artie picked it up.

“You know we told you three our story about us being apart for so long then finding each other. We will miss you so much when you leave. What do you think about if we asked the orphanage if we could adopt all three of you. We are older but we have the funds to raise you and house you. You are all well rounded and if you need an education you could get the basics online. Long ago I promised my Aggie I would give her three children. You could honor your parents by keeping their last name. Think about it. You would have family and we would have family.” asked Artie,

Agatha chirped in that it would be very easy to add three more rooms to their home.

“Basil Palma Terzi.

Maia Palma Terzi

and Alexa Palma Terzi” said Basil with great excitement!

Maia and Alexa both cried with excitement that it would be wonderful to be a real family again.

“Nous sommes une famille” repeated the three siblings.

Aggie said: “We are family.”

©Julia A Knaake

laughter is the only way I know there is still hope

laughter fills the world in a way that hate never could

laughter cuts through the pain

it makes the tears melt away

laughter is power

it is happiness

it brings people together

laughter makes you forget where you are

it makes you forget what your situation is

it is almost impossible

to laugh and be miserable at the same time

it proves that we are all different

no one’s laugh is exactly the same as anyone else’s

some people cry when they laugh

some people’s faces fill with joy

some people are loud when they laugh

others laugh so hard you can’t hear them

but no matter how someone laughs,

you know they are happy

you know that for that moment,

they don’t have to think about anything bad

they can just enclose themselves in goodness

as long as there is laughter in the world,

I won’t give up

At the Springwater Resort in the dead of winter, several people were snowbound. Telephone lines were down, and the nearest town was sixteen miles away. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but the storm was intensifying where travel was becoming impossible.

The bartender, Shellie, had her husband drop her off earlier that afternoon. Now, she was stranded with the others until her husband could get through the heaviest storm to hit central Wisconsin in forty-six years.

Along with Shellie, was Darwin, a carpenter, and his girlfriend, Faith, who worked in The Dells at one of the concession stands during the season.

The others were Charlie, a delivery driver out of Chicago who came to the resort for his winter vacation. Gerald, one of the locals who never worked, yet he always managed to have a lot of money to spend, and then there was Yaz, Shellie’s brother.

There were other people who lived and worked at Springwater, but they were in their own units staying warm the best way they could.

Before midnight would roll around, the resort’s bar, The Hideout, would have five more people added to the list. A total of eleven. There should have been twelve, but one didn’t make it.

**********************************************

“Worse damn storm I’ve ever seen.”

“I know, Yaz. I’ve never seen it this bad either.”

“Hell, who cares how bad it is, sweetheart. Set me and Faith up with another drink. Nothing like a good stiff drink to keep the blood flowing on a night like this.” Darwin wrapped his arm around Faith, who stood under him about half a foot, half-smiled, half-grimaced as Darwin pulled her ninety-seven-pound frame into his massive three-hundred plus pounds of solid muscle.

Charlie, who stood next to fire Gerald was stoking, looked out the window, watched a heavy snow fell across the expansive lake and half-shouted, “That’s about the truth, too. Tonight’s going to be a cold one by heaven. Wouldn’t surprise me if it don’t drop down to fifty below the way things are going.”

“I heard once,” Gerald said loud enough for Charlie to hear, “the last time it snowed like this, twelve people died in this very area. Course that was before all those condo units were built. My daddy told me when I was a boy that when spring rolled around, the bodies were all chewed up by wild animals and what was left of’em were frozen stiffer than a board.”

Charlie looked at Gerald who never batted an eye. “No shit.”

“No, not shit, just frozen dead mutilated bodies,” Gerald smiled slowly.

Behind the bar, Shellie was fixing another round, the fourth one in the last hour for her small group of customers.

“At least we still have electricity to watch TV and get weather updates.” Shellie grinned widely, trying to make light of a situation that was worsening as time ticked off the clock.

“Sis,” grunted Yaz, “I could try to get through. I could take Emmett’s Corner over to Holstead. It would cut about four miles and then I can bring back some help as in a good-sized plow.”

“You’ll do no such thing, Yaz! I’d feel terrible if anything happened to you. You happen to be the only brother I have if you remember right. Just because you’re older, doesn’t make you brighter than me. Just stay here and keep me company.”

“Okay, sis, but I know I could make it.” Yaz let the latter half of his sentence trail off his lips because he knew when Shellie got a stubborn streak in her, he could forget about changing her mind. Snowstorm, hurricane, twister, even a tidal wave were to come through here; nothing would budge her if she didn’t want budged on an issue. Yaz would stay, but he knew he could have made the trip safely.

Darwin, on the other hand, liked the idea.

“I got fifty bucks says you don’t make it, fella. Are you a gambling man, or just a talker?”

“Hey!” yelled Shellie. “I don’t need you egging him on. If I wanted him to go, I’d have let him. Now just drink your drink and leave him alone.”

Looking over at Yaz, Darwin grinned and said, “You always let your sister do your talking for you?”

“Dar,” spoke up Faith, “drop it, will you? You know that it’s way too bad for anyone to go anywhere in this storm.”

“Okay already. I can see I’m outnumbered. Forget about it. I was only teasing the poor guy anyway.”

Darwin’s and Yaz’s eyes met, and there was a glare of discontent spoken ever so silently. Darwin was about to say something sarcastic when the front door was yanked open and the blustering winds of winter could be heard racing and whipping around like a locomotive going right through the bar.

Brenda, the other bartender, struggled to get inside until Claude stood away from the fireplace after building a good-size blaze, and walked over to help her get inside and closed the doors against an angry wind becoming angrier being denied access inside.

“Hey, Brenda, it’s not healthy being out on a night like this. You should have stayed in your room and ….”

Claude stopped talking when he saw the look on her face; not a cold look, but a look of real fright that captured her eyes.

“Brenda, what’s wrong, honey? Talk to me.”

The others began moving closer to Brenda when Claude spoke those words. Yaz pulled a chair out from a nearby table and set it in front of the fire as Claude walked her to where she could get warm. Brenda was shivering, not only from the cold and wind outside, but from what she had just experienced.

“Well, ya gonna tell us what’s bugging you?”

Yaz looked at Darwin. “For a change, why don’t you just shut up. She’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

“I’m going to fix her a cup of coffee,” said Shellie. She had never seen such a look on Brenda’s face before.

The lounge area was quiet and remained that way until Shellie walked around the bar and placed a steaming cup of coffee between Brenda’s hands.

“Th-thanks, Shellie.”

“At least the cat ain’t got her tongue.”

Everyone stared at Darwin that time.

“Brenda, what’s wrong?”

“He’s at the bottom of the hill,” came a flat reply.

“Who’s at the bottom of the hell?” asked Charlie.

“David. He’s at the bottom of the hill. Oh, God. It’s terrible.”

Brenda started crying heavily, the sobs racking her body causing her to spill some of the coffee. After a few minutes, she managed to pull herself together.

“Brenda, how bad is he hurt?” Yaz was throwing on his parka as he asked, making his way for the front door.

“NO! Don’t go out there! There, there’s nothing you can do for him. No one can.”

Charlie, who suddenly became nervous, asked, “What do you mean by that, Brenda?”

“He’s, he’s … dead.”

Brenda suddenly became enraged.

“Are you deaf! He’s dead, that’s what I mean! I, I was coming down the hill to relieve Shellie and I didn’t see David until I was almost on top of him. First thing I did was shake him, but he didn’t move. Then I rolled him over to check his face for any cuts or bruises, thinking he might have fallen hard or something and knocked himself out. That’s when I freaked and ran the rest of the way here!”

“Don’t freak out on us now,” said Darwin. “What was it you saw?” This time the sarcasm in his voice wasn’t there.

“That’s just it, I didn’t see anything. His, his face, wasn’t … there.”

Faith shivered, grabbing Darwin’s muscled forearm around her shoulder and gripped Shellie’s hand. Darwin put his beer to his lips and guzzled half a can in one greedy gulp and for the first time he knew to keep his mouth shut. Gerald walked over to the window, then stepped closer to the fire and looked out into the blazing white inferno surrounding all of them.

“Maybe you were mistaken, Brenda. Maybe the storm made you think you saw something else.”

“No, Shellie. I saw what I saw. It was as if his face was either ripped off or something chewed it off.”

The room became even quieter before Yaz spoke.

“Shellie, there are seven of us here. David would have made eight. Who else is living at the top of the hill?”

“There’s the cook, Lucy, and her boyfriend, Matt. There’s Jesse, he’s the one hired to build the houses out along the strip, and our maintenance man, Mike.”

“May heaven help us all. That makes twelve.”

Yaz looked up at Gerald.

“Gerald, you aren’t saying this has anything to do with that wives’ tale about twelve bodies found in the area like it was back in 1953, are you?”

“Yaz, you and all the rest of you can call me a crazy old fool, but it was on a night like this when twelve people died.”

“Okay, so what?” chimed in Darwin.

“Yeah,” said Charlie. “Didn’t you say they were found in the spring, intact?”

“Found in the spring, yes. Intact, I never said that. I said bodies were frozen and mutilated. Big difference.

“There’s more to this story than any of you know. In 1895, this same area had some trappers up here over the winter. Most folks said until the winter of 1953, the snowstorm in 1895 was about the worse ever. It was the following spring twelve trappers were found dead, same way as those people in 1953.”

Brenda, Faith, and Shellie, were shaking and not because of the winds outside but because of the story. Gerald continued.

“Each man back then were found with their heads, arms and legs torn from their bodies. All the body parts could be found but one. The heart. Whatever it was; killed them in 1895 and 1953 didn’t have much sense because it didn’t know how to get right to the heart. Tearing the body apart seemed the only logical way of getting what it wanted.

“I’m not trying to be no campfire storyteller, but whatever it was that went and killed all those people, and mind you now, four of them in 1953 were women; it’s back again.”

Darwin was the first to say something.

“That’s a crock of shit if I ever heard anything at all. Nice story, old man. You almost had me going for a minute.”

“Gerald,” said Yaz, “I think that’s about enough.” Looking at Darwin and Charlie, he said, “Put on your coats and help me bring David inside.”

“What good will it do to bring him in here if he’s dead? He’ll just fester and start to smell. That’s what dead bodies do,” said Darwin.

Yaz shot him an angry look.

“David is dead, but his body doesn’t need to be lying around. There are animals out there that could pick up his scent and start chewing on his body. Show a little respect, asshole.”

Shellie grabbed his arm. “Yaz, please, don’t go out there.”

Brenda started crying again. “No! Don’t bring him in here! He doesn’t have a face! Please, don’t!”

“Relax, okay? If David is dead as you say he is, we need to get him covered up and make sure none of the animals get wind of him after daylight. Maybe, and I’m just saying maybe the reason you didn’t see his face is because it was covered with a lot of snow. Snow has this affinity for sticking to beards, and David has one heck of a bush on that mug of his.” Yaz forced a smile which brought a small one to Brenda’s face.

“Maybe you’re right.”

Yaz looked at Charlie and Darwin who were buttoned up and ready to march through winds at seventy-miles an hour.

Her grey eyes are what I see,

as soon as mine are closed.

Her lips kiss all my memories,

Leaving me shaken and exposed.

But this girl holds my heart so close,

With the protection of her own,

That opening up and exposing myself,

Feels safe and less alone.

This poem is hers to read at night,

When my body can’t be there.

Those times that distance roars it’s head,

She’ll know how much I care.

I’m hers to keep in this life,

Plus all the ever afters,

And my broken smile begins to heal,

With each new passing chapter.

Everything these days

it seems

is a gamble

life is a casino

because the casino always wins

you bet

you lose

hit rock bottom

and then win

and are swimming in riches

you bet some more

the difference

is that in life

you can only walk away once

-Z

Hey. We need to talk.

Do you remember where you were the afternoon of November 3, 2015? At approximately 1:07pm?

Because I sure do.

You were in a crowded cafe, as rain poured outside and early 90s rock music played inside. You wore a tailored business suit, carried a brief case, and were clean shaven. You appeared to be a mature, intelligent adult.

But then you strolled up to the overworked cashier and spat out “spicy tuna salad on chocolate chip, please” as your order.

That was pretty fuckin’ weird.

I was the customer behind you. You probably don’t remember me — given that this was nearly three years ago, we never spoke, and I ordered a forgettable sesame bagel with plain, low-fat cream cheese.

How ya doin’, buddy?? Can I call you buddy? I thought about you a lot since that fateful day we almost met.

I’ve turned your decision over and over in my mind and have come up with only one logical explanation: you were trying to teach me a lesson.

Or lessonS, rather.

Here’s what I learned:

Never be afraid to ask for what you want. No one’s gonna just hand you a promotion, a day off, or a dollop of spicy salt water fish on sugary bread.

Be confident in knowing your own desires. Don’t settle for cream cheese when you’re really craving canned mackerel.

Get creative! Life is to short to solely mimic what others have done before you. It’s a vast world out there, filled with many protein choices and baked vessels to pair them with. Go out and explore!

Life is like a chocolate chip bagel with spicy tuna salad. Some parts are sweet, some parts are stinky, and some parts are gaping empty holes. Oh and it’ll probably make you gassy.

Don’t worry about what other people may think of you. So what if the neurotic girl behind you in the cafe line will judge you, waking up in a cold sweat for hundreds of consecutive days, remembering your actions and finally deciding on day number 935 to self-publish an essay about it? Not your problem.

Thank you for these incredible teachings, oh great one! You took a peculiar route to instill this knowledge in me but I respect it.

…or maybe you just really like mayo with chocolate? Sicko.

I knew you were different from the moment you stepped on the subway. I tried not to stare at you, but you were too much. Your nose was flushed red and your eyes slightly puffy. I wanted to talk to you, but every time I got the nerve to walk over and say something, you’d begin to hula hoop. The way the hula hoops followed your hips and waist was mesmerizing, and soon I’d forget what I was doing. It was impressive and I wanted to say so, but people kept glaring at you and remarking about how rude it was to hula hoop in a crowded subway. I think it was rude of them to distract you and me.

My stop came, but I didn’t leave. I remained on the subway, hoping to see you smile. Four stops later, you got off the subway. I ran over to the window and watched you. I think you might have seen me, long black hair, gray glasses, but some guy walked over to you and took hold of your hand. I don’t entirely remember, but I’m pretty sure you glanced back and gave me a smile. If you’re reading this, please meet me tomorrow (May 4th) at the movie theater on 34th Street at 3 PM sharp.

Thanks,

Clarence

Edit: It’s May 5th (Happy Cinco de Mayo). If you’re reading this, please meet me tomorrow. Same location, same time. - Clarence

Edit: It's been a week. I've been trying to find you again by riding the subway everyday at the same time. No luck. Perhaps you saw me, long black hair, gray glasses? I'm starting to get worried that guy might have killed you. If you're okay, meet me at the movie theater tomorrow (May 13th) at 3 PM.