Regina Semper! Endless Queen!

Your subjects’ love is evergreen!

We hearken close to your decree

We bow in great respect

.

And when our monarch grandly stands

And utters gentle, firm commands,

Each resident soon understands

Just what you do expect.

.

For y…

Maybe it's the blissful fulfillment I see in others' smiles,

or the way they've reached their goals ahead of me,

but I feel crabby tonight.

.

Perhaps it's the way that children won't listen to me,

or the way it seems everyone around me is spouting nega…

Grims slung his rifle then bent to the body. Blood dribbled from the kid's mouth, but not much. Three shots center mass had assured the kid died quickly.

A little blood, but it was enough. The yips and yowls sounded closer. Death was on the air now, and …

Grims surveyed the horizon moving only his eyes. He held a long butted rifle against his shoulder, barrel hot enough to warm the air near his neck. Nothing moved. The jamperscamps and mooncats had vanished at the sound of the first shot. In the ruddiness …

I saw my therapist for the last time today. I expected to cry, but I only felt numb. I expect that the rougher emotions will come in time. I gave her a card with my words of gratitude, and she gave me a journal so that I can keep writing words.

Over fou…

You poked a hole in the box. I can only imagine what that did to your fingernails, wearing them down to the quick the way you must have to wear an opening into the cardboard. But I can hear your voice a little louder now. It makes it difficult to sleep at…

I was parked at the edge of the world. There was a hill at the very back of my parent's property that overlooked the neighbor's pasture filled with cows. It was a great place to stop and think. I had turned off the radio and watched the bovines graze. The…

I drove by the bar at least once a week, but never stopped. It was too painful to think about the memories.

I wasn't sure what to do next. Should I wait for him to come to me or should I go? I sent a few texts, funny stuff I knew he liked. Sometimes I go…

Email:

I want you to know my feelings in detail, so I type them into a single message that may be long, but at least I have provided good communication of my wants and needs.

Texting:

I return your communication sometimes with a similarly long winded mes…

The hall was brightly lit, though curiously empty. I shoved the door labeled Trophy Room open.

The room was dark. A single spotlight shone on a pedestal. It wasn't too tall. I climbed up and stood awkwardly. The light grew brighter and I began to pose. I…

The fire rain came again last night, driving holes in the already pitted metal over our heads. Cossa and Sandry caught some splash drops with their faces and woke with permanent tears. Fire rain burned but everyone in our holding catches what they can to …

The old man sits at the bar in Connoly’s Pub. In one hand he holds a pint while the other gesticulates, waiving through the air like a conductor whose music is found in the rhythm of language and stories of the old country.

A small crowd has gathered …

I drag a finger along a wall as I walk around the room. I can feel the grainy surface of drywall and paint. Approaching the corner, my fingertips lift off the surface slightly, pulling further away as I draw closer to the junction of the adjoining wall.

…

Across all surfaces, we swarm

Like plagues of locusts, causing harm

We move so rapidly, alive

Spirits of speed, ah! For we'll drive

And no one knows, not even I

What destination fills our eye

Erupting from communal hive

On tires of fire, for we'll drive!

…

Shy child in tatters

Winter's ward

Too weak and cold

To lift her sword

How hast thou come here?

Stumble toward

My outstretched arms, dear waif!

.

Sweet sprite of whimsy!

Tumbling round

The fairy circles

On the ground,

Be'est fille or faery,

Thou hast foun…

There's no place that can feel like home

Without someone who's kind to you.

Most any place, if I'm alone,

Fills me with heartache ochre-blue.

.

The grandest palace, opulent

With every comfort you could want;

The cozy cottage; finest tent

Without your love…

"OK, first of all? Do you know how much I'm already paying for all the outlets to be water-proofed? Why are you telling me it's $4,000 for waterproof floorboards?"

"I don't make the prices, Miss, I just hand over the bill."

"You don't get it! I am the…

Oh god oh god oh god why did I do that!? What was I thinking? She couldn't help but laugh drily at that. She wasn't thinking. That was the whole point. She hadn't been thinking for some time now.

Pictures lay torn in half and scattered on the floor. Th…

I'm heading on a trip quite soon

My open suitcase nearly filled

I should be glad, I shall see friends,

And, honestly, I should be thrilled.

.

But something close to nightmares loom.

Such anxious visions crowd my dreams:

My bag's misplaced; I'm lost in g…

I thought I’d get to kiss your face

And hold your hand when you were sad.

I thought you’d stay, that you would wish

My company when times were bad,

-

And when you thought of times to come,

You’d seen me there beside you, dear,

In peaceful camaraderie. I’m…

There are no new planets

Any more than there are new kinds of people

.

These planets around Trappist-1

Have been there, perhaps waiting for someone

.

To notice them, to be excited, rewarded in their hopes

That they would somehow exist

.

In the great dark …

You've called. Sent me letters. Begged me back. Explained how stars have decided our lives are meant to be intertwined.

But I don't want to be your girl no more.

Go home, sweetheart. Take a deep breath and take care of yourself and move on. You can't ta…

"We'll be ready by morning," Byron heard the voice tell the man who held him captive.

The man replied, "Very good. Beatrice!"

Byron heard the quick footfalls of the man's wife, always eager to please. "Yes, dear?"

"Take Mr. Curts to the shuttle. He wil…

Jacqueline signaled the bartender for another mojito. “It's not obvious to me.”

“Since your attack on Isla Quiribi, F.A.C.E. has split and some enterprising splinters are exploring a kind of freedom that didn't exist under Dr. Whitman.”

“You need me to …

"You know, I work over in the cybernetics lab at ArtHume."

Great. He was following me. I angled for my ancient car, a converted antique gas guzzler now outfitted with an electric motor that hiccuped sometimes. I yanked on the door handle, pretending not …