love
All you need is Love, and Love is all you need.
Two Freaks at a Festival
She looks superhuman: bathed in the blue stage light, her leotard-clad body bent far beyond the average person’s breaking point. She falls to the floor and for a moment lays flat on her stomach; then, keeping her upper body motionless, she peels her legs away from the floor, curling them above and behind her like a scorpion’s tail. She pauses to acknowledge the smattering of applause and then continues to curl her legs, bringing them down over her head like a crashing wave. Her toes touch the stage in front of her eyes; she shifts her centre of gravity forward, thrusts her torso toward the ceiling, and in one graceful movement inflates her body into a smoothly arching bridge. She holds this pose for a second, and then, with nothing but the sheer strength of her core, pulls herself up into a normal standing position.
By Joel Pryor5 years ago in Humans
Poetic Noir
As lovely a evening as any in Dilano’s Speak Easy. The atmosphere was always spot on from what I had heard. This is probably why my sisters chose this spot. Glenda and Stella felt like it was time I get out of the house. Brady was five and Tony had been gone for three years. Honestly I knew it was time I come up for air. My sisters understood this. Our mother baby sat him for the night. So I wouldn’t have to pick him up until morning. Earlier’s reluctance made them duck out soon as we hit the scene. Still I was enjoying my evening with the girls. With a final sip of Noir I was off to mingle. Frankie and the boys set was on fire tonight and not a glass was dry. Dilano made sure of that as pin up style baristas filled glasses through the floor. Of course what he passed out was bootleg wine most of which was fine considering you get get it nowhere if you didn’t already have it. Still fermented nicely but not my favorite by a long shot. His Pinot Noir was the beez neez. So I enjoyed what he was great at while taking in the sites.
By Joey Renee5 years ago in Humans
The Game
Sometimes, when it’s the middle of a workday, you can feel the city’s heartbeat. If you’re looking out onto the streets or pizzerias or square office buildings, you’ll notice the rhythm of the subway tunnels echoing madly under the hum of thousands of footsteps on concrete. If you’re like Lucy, you might find yourself staring at the world from a park café, lost in the vibrations of the big apple’s beehive. When the hums grow louder with as the day goes on, people walk faster and notice less. It’s on days like this, when nobody looks back at you, that you get to stare at them.
By Sabrina Fraidenraich5 years ago in Humans
Time over Merlot
"Knowing your keyboard is not the same as knowing a person", Allison said across the table with a questioning look on her brow. "I came here to get to know you, and for you to get to know me", she continued. Jim looked up from his phone, until his eyes met Allison's. A cocky smile came across his face. "Well sweetheart, we are going to have many, many years together, no need to learn everything about each other all in one night", he said as his eyes returned to his phone. Allison gasped. "The nerve!" she exclaimed, and threw her napkin down at the table. Unmoved by her show of emotion, Jim motioned to the waiter across the room, first circling his index finger above his head, and then pointing down towards the table. Under the table, he turned his phone off and slid it into his pants pocket. He slowly brought his empty hands up to the table submitting them for Allison's inspection. The smile still on his face, he said "Sweetheart, I just had to finish that little bit of business, now I'm all yours". The waiter came and set two glasses before them, and poured from a bottle of Merlot. Allison's eyes cooled and face softened. "Allison, I have to do certain things to pay for this dinner", Jim said as he spread his arms out, coaxing her to look around. "But, if you noticed, I was in a hurry to get those certain things done", he continued. He lifted his glass, inviting Allison to do the same. "I wanted to hurry and get those things done, so I can slow down and be with you. Look at this wine sweetheart. Look at the color, smell it, you can almost taste it already. It's the same way I feel about being here with you. One doesn't gulp it down in a big hurry. You sip it, enjoy it", he went on. Allison's complexion was changing as they both took their first sip. Jim heard a faint laugh from across the table. "Smooth talker. You're laying it on pretty thick sailor", she said. "But, go on", she beckoned. Obviously, she was attracted to the tone of his voice. She also studied his face as he continued, "Wine speaks to you". He smelled the glass, glancing up at her and then back down to the glass. "If you just take your time and enjoy everything about it, it begins to tell you where it came from, what it's been through over time, like a person would. If you listen to it very closely, you can hear it say 'slowly, pace yourself'", he whispered holding the glass to his ear. She did the same, and they both laughed and took another sip. Over dinner, they continued sipping, always simultaneously. They began sharing where they were from, their favorite songs and singers, their favorite movies and actors. They spoke of books and teachers they had back in school. They spoke of all sorts of experiences and adventures they had with friends in their youth. If there were patrons sitting at the empty tables near them, they might have thought Jim and Allison spoke on the verge of being inappropriate as the bottle of wine diminished. They would have heard them sharing how each one of them had three children, and laughing about being there together even though they both were married. But, they wouldn't have guessed that they had been married to each other for over 45 years, and that they had their first date 46 years ago on a Monday. Jim's self confidence never waned over the years, but to him it wasn't self confidence, it was the confidence that he found the right girl. Every Monday evening for 46 years they spent together with a bottle of Merlot, sometimes more when they were younger. This alone is quite an extraordinary feat, and yet with Jim's undying appreciation of his Allison, he keeps the tradition to this day. They never even changed the name, first date, every Monday evening has been 'first date' for them. Through their many failures and challenges, as well as their successes, they spent every Monday evening together. The places might have been different. Their emotions might even be different as they sat down. But, each first date night always ended with enjoying each other with laughter and a dance. Ones closest to them describe them as the happiest couple they ever met. Jim is 79 and his Allison is 82. "Whether it's our first date or our 1000th, you're always my dream date", Jim said to Allison across the table. For the last couple of years, Allison's eyesight has declined some, and she has had short term memory problems. After hours, Jim finally stood up, took a few steps towards Allison, bent over and whispered in her ear. He extended his hand. She rose up regally and followed him to the center of the room. They danced.
By John Liles5 years ago in Humans
The Night We Had a Merlot
It was raining gently, and I was preoccupied with my problems of work, school, and money; the usual suspects of so many of our generation. I hurried to catch the elevator in my apartment building as the doors were closing, and luckily, she was there to hold them. I was consumed with the letters in my hand and failed at first to notice her.
By Andrew Hall5 years ago in Humans
Leave Me
“Liaya?” I try to whisper as my tears fall to the collar of my tuxedo—I fail when I hear pleading screams echoing through the speeding train. My lungs collapse, and my heart sinks to the pit of my quivering stomach. They couldn’t have gotten to her. Where are the police? Where is my fiance? I hear gunshots flying across the train as I hold on to the pillar. My knuckles turn white against my bronze skin as I bite down on my lower lip. My nostrils flare, and the intoxicating scent of flesh and blood and gun powder fiddle with my nostril. I grit my teeth as I sink back under my seat, hiding from the gunmen as they step through the train, their boots nearly entering my line of sight.
By Aida Fakhry5 years ago in Humans
Of Flowers and Wine
“How is it going?”, Beatriz asked as soon as Ana answered the phone, voiced laced with curiosity and expectation. Sighing, Ana let her elbow rest on the terrace's parapet, eyes gazing over a London bathed in orange and pink hues. The city was breathtaking during the sunset. The high-rises reaching for the sky and reflecting its light, the London Eye pulsing with bright colors, St. Paul’s forever stoic and the Thames’ dark waters cutting the metropolis like an enormous snake.
By Gleice Miranda5 years ago in Humans
Digits
1 Opening the door rang a beautiful bell. Clare stepped across the threshold: shoulders hunched: nervous. Her eyes were hazel: her cheekbones high. Her mess of chestnut hair was a ruffled waterfall. She flicked it back and for a moment anyone who saw her was stunned.
By Raymond Cummings5 years ago in Humans
