I need answers, too — Uncooperative weeds clutch soil, Yield ambitious, wandering strands Thriving while gardener is distracted, Steely-eyed focused on the stories in her head While brutal sun sears and air thrums Zings of shrewd bloodsuckers. The freshest, youngest, innocent invaders Surrender to leather-gloved insistence, Offering easy victory for timer-obsessed writer Yearning for return to the safety…

It’s safe to remember — With you, it’s safe to tilt my head back, Stare into midnight’s sky Until I’m dizzy with stars, Breathless from meteors Streaking emphatic nonchalant, Indifferent to small person awestruck Filled with the magic of August, Of one who remembers dark skies Are my happiest place, One who would never believe My happiest place is this here and now, Finite…

I see you — do you see me? — We walk alone and together, Strong, trained, and focused Whizzing past awkward first venture Into wild, unpredictable suburban streets Made foreign scary with no sirens, cabs, Strangers who jostle past, Prompting swift check for wallet, keys, All the things you’ll need when you arrive. Our long, strange trip into Never…

I’ll be with you — It was a long time coming. That thing you’ve been dreading Has become full and glorious, whole-bodied threat To all you’ve believed yourself to be. With cunning and bumbling accident, The nightmare has grown to epic, Hope-smothering monster scaring everyone away. Not me. I know this monster, appreciate it will keep Its…

I’m hard enough on myself — That once-beloved person who shares distant history with me Presumed to tell me how I could improve at doing my impossible, Having never done it before himself, yet an authority on me Because he thinks he knew me once upon a time. I waste no energy trying to help him see differently With his eyes…

Getting lost was easy — “Hurry up, April. This is our chance,” Jim slithered between the boulders, heaved himself up the one in back. April gritted her teeth, eyed the narrow passage. “You go on ahead, Jim. I’ll wait here. With the chocolate.” She pointed at her backpack. …

I dare you to watch — A teacher assured John Steinbeck he would be an author when pigs flew. In his novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck memorialized that challenge in the front matter: In Latin: Ad astra per alas porci In English: To the stars on the wings of a pig While…

We couldn’t lose time — For now, love, let us be real, Speak hard words softly, so quiet it’s almost As if we didn’t say them, although we must. Let’s watch cross-purpose waves wash over sandy feet, Gnarled proud from long walking on hard roads, No longer embarrassments to be hidden, But long-cherished secret joys we won’t admit To anyone but…

I Didn’t Mean to Kill Your Story — Every person has a story to share that only they can tell. The world needs every single voice to realize its fullest potential. We need one another — and we need stories from everyone. Readers need your story. Someone will be inspired or heartened by what you have to say…