Barb Dukeman
Bio
After 32 years of teaching high school English, I've started writing again and loving every minute of it. I enjoy bringing ideas to life and the concept of leaving behind a legacy.
Stories (114/0)
Dashing through the snow
“Dashing through the snow” is not as comfortable as it sounds. It was on my bucket list, so we decided to try it out. We called a local place that took people on sleigh rides, and the price was right. The ground, however, did not contain “a drifted bank.” It was white, but that’s about it.
By Barb Dukeman3 months ago in Fiction
Band of Gold
Sometimes you were just a few feet away from me. I was always there, right where you tucked me away three years ago. I remember the day, too. It was frightfully cold inside and out, snowing and icy, and you wanted to go snow tubing with the family. You looked at me, still faithfully around the ring finger on your left hand. The cold made your finger feel smaller, and you were so afraid of losing me on the snow slopes. You slid me off your finger and stashed me away in a pocket of some sort. I thought it was a purse or a coat. I heard the zipper.
By Barb Dukeman3 months ago in Fiction
My Writing Journey for 2024
Publish or perish. Although this phrase was birthed by academic writing, I don’t take this aphorism lightly. Writing is a vital component of the humanities, and the humanities endure, defining what it means to be human. I’ve always had a dream of publishing: at first it was a book of poetry, then perhaps a collection of short stories or even a novel. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Antony says, “The evil that men do lives after them;/The good is oft interrèd with their bones” (Act III scene II). This line resonates with me; I don’t want to be remembered by the mistakes I’ve made in my life or by the mundane or morose anecdotes that may be passed down. After I watched the animated Disney movie Coco, I don’t want to be forgotten by my family.
By Barb Dukeman3 months ago in Writers
- Runner-Up in the Whodunit Challenge
Forever InnocentRunner-Up in the Whodunit Challenge
Headmaster Percy Blackburn took his spectacles off and polished them with a cotton handkerchief. He repeated this habit often, which signaled to the girls of the Chiller’s School for Young Women he was agitated, upset over a perceived transgression from one of his charges. Euphemia Wood, his assistant, would immediately fetch him a glass of absinthe in response. It was a habit that repeated itself often.
By Barb Dukeman5 months ago in Criminal
Predator
Beth signed sat in front of her laptop which cast an eerie shadow on the wall behind her. Her friends encouraged her to join an online dating site to find a decent person. After a string of losers since she left college, she had nothing to lose. Her father, a local sheriff’s deputy, warned her about those sites being dangerous. He’d seen the damages firsthand.
By Barb Dukeman5 months ago in Criminal
The More I Lose, the More I Win
This is not a typical essay on weight loss. I am not a typical person. Don’t expect recipes for darling cupcakes made of cauliflower and kale. I am stubborn, smart aleky, protective, immature, sincere, intelligent, intuitive, and sometimes a pain to be around. You should learn from my mistakes. Also understand I am NOT a physician and have NO medical background whatsoever. You should always check with your doctor before you change anything in your life regarding your health, like skydiving or maybe having that weird mole checked out while you’re there.
By Barb Dukeman6 months ago in Confessions