Heath Hardin
Bio
teacher,
father,
songwriter : I record as Olds Sleeper
poet
furniture maker
living in Pennsylvania.
loving life.
www.oldssleeper.bandcamp.com
Achievements (1)
Stories (14/0)
Peaches
On the puffy couch, Helen sat in her pink bathrobe while her small dog Peaches snuggled into her soft plushy thigh. Helen was finishing a bowl of peanut butter ice cream, and entranced with the handsome figure of Alex Trebek on the TV. She savored the last spoon, turning it and pressing her tongue hard against the creamy cold. She liked Alex’s grey suit.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Fiction
All the good times are past and gone
“She left me for some lawyer up in Meadville. Probably some pencil dick that could eat corn through a picket fence. Some suit-wearing gelded cocksucker. I guess after four years of living with me she needed to give that cooter of hers a rest.”
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Fiction
Before everything fades away
I was on lookout at the corner of the alley while Mary began spray painting the wall. It was just after midnight, and the hot June day had melted into a beautiful evening. I glanced over as she unleashed a long flowing spray of orange that twisted into itself. She repeated it a few more times, and her movement cast wild shadows beneath dim lights along the back of the shop wall. We probably wouldn’t get caught but adrenaline still surged through me. I felt alert.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Humans
Shark Teeth Among the Stars
I know whales who recite entire novels which would rival Melville, Hemingway or Dostoevsky. I swim with octopus playwrights who stage tragedies so affecting, that puffer fish will weep deeply upon mere mention of their titles. I know a few starfish with a particular penchant for haiku. Basho would be pleased with their tiny verse recited on the bottom of the sea floor.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Poets
Your name is a silent space between stars
A lot of people say I tend to lie. I know I exaggerate a bit. That’s how I see it. I want you to believe me, because I’ve been through more than I want to talk about here. The last time I stood before a judge, she told me “Honesty is the path to stability and peace.” I keep thinking about that.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Fiction
The Heart that Gives
I was making coffee at dawn, and through the kitchen window I saw three black buzzards sitting on the roof of the barn. I thought about Charlie, then put on my boots and walked out to the edge of the pasture. The mound that had covered him was scattered earth. I saw a few pieces of spine and there was one of his leg bones with a little bit of red muscle still stuck to it. That was about it. Those bastard-ass coyotes had dug him up. After I buried him, I had thought about going into town to buy repellent at the farm store, but never did. They must have dug him up in the night while I was sleeping. I got pretty drunk last night. After burying Charlie, I went to the house and drank beer until I woke up at three in the morning on the kitchen floor. I usually don’t drink that much, but Charlie was a damn good dog.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Fiction
Lone and level sands stretch far away
Something inside her had cracked. I could not change her mind. That last night, I put my hand to the crest of her back to help her down from the broken barn ladder. She turned to me and her hands fell softly to my waist. There was a moment where I started to say something, and then our mouths met softly. Blue swallows dove in and out of the rafters, and we made love one last time on a blanket in the empty horse stall. Like the other times, it was dream-like and beautiful.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Fiction
Nothing Ever Really Belongs to You.
The sun was a fading blood-hole above the city of the dead and half-living. The hunch-shouldered did not grunt as they slaved, though spittle gathered at the corners of forever-thirsty mouths. The furnaces they fed shot flames high into the grey sky. Nothing howled or moaned but pain dominated. Exhausted bones moved with emaciated muscle.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Fiction
- Top Story - May 2021
- First Place in Gemini Season Challenge
Two Roads, Diverged No LongerFirst Place in Gemini Season Challenge
OH Gemini, how lucky for you to gaze upon these words now! Today! That separation of self you've been feeling? That overwhelming sense that you are being pulled by two opposedly- determined fates? NO MORE! Know for certain: A single vision will hit you and your duplicitous soul-forces will be united, your full capacities realized! Pay attention to the signs; smell the air for clues- the flowers of promise abound. Fortune is written within your palm! Wrap your fingers around the gold coin of possibility that lies in every moment. Sip on the strong liquor of eternity.
By Heath Hardin3 years ago in Humans
