Fireplace

clickclickclickclickclick (a moment of silence) With a soft whoosh the fireplace bursts to life. The flames don’t evoke the reaction in me or in her that we thought they might; the sight of these flames feels entirely different than the hopeless plight we felt in the hellish firelight just a few nights ago. No, this […]

Life Goes On

Because we were delivered from Hell’s thronging forces, life goes on. Though the sunrise looks unnatural, a bloodred orb through the white haze, life goes on. Though we must wear our filtration masks at all times when not eating or drinking, life goes on. Though all we have to eat is stale cheerios, old fruit, […]

Hot Spot

Because in the library last night I felt utterly helpless to do anything other than assure others in the firelight that everything would be fine and hope that my words were not hollow, when I saw a chance to make a difference I leapt for it. The hillside sloping up from Seaside dorm to the […]

Ashes

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Devastator

The Thousand Oaks community *** Our Devastator left us bare Our Devastator left us black Our Devastator came with careless Fervor into the attack Our Devastator flickered red Our Devastator roared like Hell Its blazes left some of us dead And homes unrecognizable Our Devastator left us lame Our spirits broken but I trust In […]

Playing with Fire

Many children, especially boys,like to play God. They take in handa magnifying glass and hold it –just so – until a concentrated beamof heat from the sunlances to the groundto cruelly burn bugs to a crisp. We like to pretend we are in control.At the end of the day, though,Mother Nature puts us in our […]

Atmosphere

1. The Eighth of November There’s a heavy air about the campus today. As I walk past my peers and professors, some with their faces downcast, others looking forward as best they can, they all greet me the same way. A slow, open-palmed wave. A prolonged twitch of the mouth: not a smile, it’s too […]

4:30 AM

Because of the fire, we had to evacuate our dormsand we have been stuck in the campus library for eight hours.For the umpteenth time, she tells me that she feels sick,nauseous, and that she feels like vomiting. I stand up –me in my sweatpants and hoodie, her in her leggingsand her sweatshirt – and I […]

Thousand Oaks Shooting

Columbine. Sandy Hook. Route 91. Pulse. Pittsburgh Synagogue. So many tragedies that it’s become a list, a statistic, a common occurrence. Just one angry deed among many, occasionally worthy of momentary fame as tragedy gives way to normalcy for I am calloused to catastrophe. Why doesn’t it hurt me that somewhere someone is hurting? […]