he said

let's not drink

on weekdays

as devastating

as customer service

representatives

dogs barking incessantly

clothes ripping against

the door jam

phone calls instead

of texts

anger bubbling

fists against walls

a broken skeleton

wrists that can't

withstand that kind

of emotional dependency

on poisonous relationships

I comb my hair

tell myself to

cope

the only reason

I'm still here

is for the pure adrenaline

cotton mouth

from too many swear words

with a hand inside his head

he sleeps inside his guitar-cased

coffin

and weeps angel trumpets

and sandwiched between temples

are a pair of eyes

that cannot close

and lie deserted.

his synapses beep a 4/4 metronome;

a morse for his lost amore

with the downbeat blowing

the mating call of a mort

and as morning comes

a pair of palms

fly over the gas stove fire -

"twins thieving oxygen".

dragging a soul

at the sole of a palindrome

shoulders shrug away

the shaloms and mazel tovs

and shrugs towards

the nearest hearse,

hands inside

molotovs

.

I see a tiny boy digging into his tiny pocket. He pulls out a coin which he places in the paper cup of a homeless man. This same tiny boy marches on down the street where he hears a steel drum, made out of tin cans, sending beautiful music to his tiny ears. Once again, he reaches into his tiny pocket and drops a shiny nickel on the ground next to the street musician.

The tiny boy knows he has only one copper penny left in his pocket. He saves it for tomorrow. His compassion is not tiny.

Tim wakes up in a cold sweat. However, it isn't night terror's that are the culprit this time. This time Tim is anxious. A queasy feeling rises in the pit of his stomach. Saturday is finally here. Tim considers Saturday a free day. A day where he doesn't have to deal with the drama that surrounds him at school. He makes it a point each Saturday to enjoy every moment of it. This Saturday is different. He has to spend part of it with her. He is way past regret. In fact he regretted it almost immediately. He never in a million years thought she would accept. Maybe George was right. Maybe Cindy really does want to get him alone. Maybe he played right into her hands without even realizing it. To think she might be 3 steps ahead of him sends a shiver down his spine. He doesn't want to go through with it but at this point he has no choice.

Since there is no way he is spending a dime of his own money on Cindy, he decides to have a picnic in the park. He finds a musty old blanket in the attic that would be perfect. He gets his mother to buy the necessary ingredients that will comprise their meal. Once he convinces her his date is with a real girl, she becomes willing to do whatever it takes to make that date a success.

His father tells him not to do anything that he himself would not do and Tim responds by saying that Cindy is probably expecting him to at the very least talk to her. Tim's father amends his advice by saying that Tim should probably tone done the sarcasm to which Tim responds that it probably isn't going to happen.

He decides to make bacon and tomato sandwiches. A normal person would have also included lettuce in the equation but Tim isn't fond of lettuce so he leaves that part out. A normal person would also use bread but Tim isn't fond of bread either so he substitutes that with English Muffins. He lightly toasts the English muffins in the toaster and cooks the bacon in the air fryer until the bacon is nice and crisp, just the way he likes it. He realizes that he has no idea if Cindy will also like the Bacon sandwiches but her preferences are not what is important here. If he is going to spend time with someone he doesn't like, he is at least going to enjoy some aspect of the encounter. He grabs a few bottles of water. His mother gives him a tin of brownies to share with what she thinks is the object of his affection. Tim insists that isn't necessary but his mother won’t take no for an answer. Rather than argue with his mother Tim just packs the tin with his other stuff and heads out to the park.

He agreed to meet Cindy at 10:30 and while he has met his part of the bargain, Cindy is nowhere to be found. Did she get cold feet? Did she just want to make a fool out of him? He spreads out the blanket in the shade of a nearby tree and sits down. Even if Cindy doesn't show up, he will still enjoy his lunch and it's always good to get some exercise. Fifteen minutes pass and Cindy is still a no show. However, the person who does show up is Brad and his posse.

"What have we here?" Brad asks not really expecting an answer, "Having a picnic all by yourself?" He shakes his head, "That is just so sad and pathetic. I really feel for you. You know, because you're so pathetic I think we'll do you a favor and cut you some slack." Brad continues, "Just one thing, we've built up quite an appetite, I'm sure you brought

enough food that you can share, seeing as we're being all nice to you and everything."

Before Tim could react, one of Brad's friends grabs Tim's basket and open's it up.

"Hey, he's got some BLT's in here." the unnamed goon announces as he throws a bag with a sandwich in it to Brad. Brad looks at it for a moment.

"Hey, where’s the lettuce? No wonder you're here all by yourself, you can't even make a BLT right." Brad opens the bag and takes a huge bite. "Hey, this is pretty good, guys, you need to taste these sandwiches." The three boys eat all of Tim's sandwiches and take his bottles of water for good measure. They leave Tim sitting there all by himself.

Tim isn't angry. Life just sucks, that's all. Tim didn't know why but the boys left his brownies behind. He takes one a bites into it. He just sits there. After an hour Cindy still does not make an appearance. She saw her opening and took it. She made a fool out of him. He can appreciate that. Maybe now she will leave him alone.

Monday Tim is walking down a hall at school when he hears a familiar voice. He doesn't want to stop but he does anyway. "Tim, I'm sorry I didn't make it on Saturday." Yeah, sure you are, Tim thinks but doesn't say out loud. "I forgot that the family was going to visit my grandparents. They live 90 minutes away and I couldn't get out of it. I wanted to though. Let me make it up to you." Cindy says by way of apology.

"You don't have to. You made a fool out of me. You really got me good. I can appreciate that." Tim says with no malice or ill will in his voice as he walks away from her.

"But I want to." Cindy says as her voice trails off watching him walk away.

So Ses Tina

And so the story goes fast

Fast as in the mental creativity

Creativity designed to be unwittingly endless

Endless points, fire, heated degrees

Degrees of intertwining levels, haunting, boastful;

Boastful where the world finds simple attempts

Eventually creating authors.

“Which friend you’re with right now is the best?” is a losing question, I learned on a playground, so I hope @Danceinsilence will forgive a variation that remains in the spirit of the challenge. Instead of trying to pick a favorite present Prose writer, I’ll name someone long gone who I always hope will return.

@cassfelliott, man. I want to read more stories by @cassfelliott. “The Whirlwind” remains the most gripping piece of horror I can recall reading on Prose. It’s here: https://theprose.com/post/319799/the-whirlwind The scenario, the imagery, the reveal are all unforgettable, and the story does that thing great horror does: it imprints upon some common experience and shades it in your memory. I had occasion to go on a waterslide last week. Definitely thought of “The Whirlwind.”

@cassfelliott is probably on to bigger, better things, but I always hope a burst of notifications will get us one more story.

The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, H.R.2307 was reintroduced in the House. I think that, or any carbon tax bill, would be a welcome breath of fresh air. I look at the horrific weather events around the globe and feel upset, saddened, and angry. I want to fire up my peers. I lobby my representatives as a member of my local chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), an environmental conservation organization.

Realistically, as much as I hope to get H.R.2307 passed, it's not practical to get my leaders behind climate change legislation. In my state, it's likely impossible now, due to denial, ignorance, apathy, &/or possibly other seeminly unrelated factors, such as politics.

Even trying to change people's habits en masse seems daunting, an insurmountable challenge. We need to get away from viewing videos on such enjoyable, entertaining sites as YouTube, TikTok, or Netflix. These and similar sites require the most energy use, producing the most carbon emissions. I don't know how to link an article's website. By copying and pasting, you'll find more info in this article: All of your YouTube and TikTok videos are contributing to climate change (greenandgrowing.org).

Supporting a carbon tax bill makes all the sense in the world. So why am I pessimistic that the world won't grasp it? Oh, did I say 'pessimistic'? I'm really just trying to force myself to be 'realistic'. I'll close, before I get myself all choked up. Thanks for the challenge, and that's not sarcastic! It's certainly a topic fit for discussion! Sincerely!

Another day begins. It begins a lot like the day before. An alarm goes off. Impatient commuters use the horns of their cars to communicate their impatience. Tim wakes up in a cold sweat. His heart rate is up. His hands griping the bedsheets below him instinctively bracing himself against a terror he did not now remember. It happened again. The night terrors that often torment him in his sleep. He never remembers the dreams, he only remembers the feeling those dreams produce and the involuntary reactions of his body to those dreams.

Tim gets up and prepares himself for the school day that lies before him. He braces himself for the boring lectures and social humiliation that awaits him. Tim has gotten to the point where he dosen’t care. He could be mad. He could wish for some kind of revenge against his tormentors. Rage could be seething just beneath the surface until it got to the point that his mind snaps but it doesn’t. There is no rage, only indifference. A quiet acceptance of fate.

Tim enters a dilapidated building badly in need of repair. It’s clear it’s best days have been long forgotten. A wave of dispair washes over all who enter it’s hallowed halls of learning. Soon upon entering Tim is spotted by an individual who mass towers over him and the individual is not happy.

“Hey Dweeb, That paper you gave me got a ‘D’. If my grades drop I wont get to play football anymore.” The towering individual speaks with both anger and disgust with a hint of entitlement sprinkled in for good measure. “You better fix it.”

Tim is use to being ordered about like a slave and he obeys his orders without question. There are worse things than being used and being used was a perferrable state than the alternative. Tim is unmoved by the tone of the towering individual.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Tim answers with the tone of confidence that let the towering individual know that Tim would not let him down.

“You better.” was all the towering individual could say in reponse. With that situation defused, Tim proceeds to class. The bell is close to ringing and he doesn’t want to be late. He hears a voice calling him from behind. He doesn’t want to be rude and ignore the voice but he also doesn’t want to be late to class. He turns to confirm who the owner of the voice is. It is Cindy. He weighs the social cost of ignoring Cindy to the time cost of being late to class. Against his better judgement he stops and waits for Cindy to catch up with him.

“Guess who has a crush on you?” She says teasing.

“No one has a crush on me.” Tim replies.

“I heard that Kelly has a crush on you.” She follows up.

“Kelly does not have a crush on me.” Tim reinforces.

“Oh, you thought I meant Kelly Richards,” Cindy states,” I meant Kelly Franklin.” and after saying that she doubled over laughing.

“Very funny.” Tim replies. Kelly Richards was the most popular girl in school, Kelly Franklin was a guy. Tim is used to Cindy teasing him. It has gotten to the point where nothing she says can get a rise out of him. She sees this lack of response as a challenge and vows that she would get him good one day.

The bell rings. They are both late to class. The teacher givse Tim and Cindy both a slip of paper which indicates they will be attending detention later that afternoon. Tim tries to stay awake during the boring lecture. He feels the stare of several individuals that make him feel like an ant under a magifying glass.

In between classes when the students shuffle their way between point A and point B, Tim sees one of the few friends he possesses. George was also a social outcast and their suffering was a shared experience.

“Hey Tim, you should come over later. I got that new VR headset.” George says.

“Sorry, Cindy got me detention.” Tim shoots back.

“Again!, I think she does that on purpose. Maybe she secretly wants to be alone with you.” George teases.

The thought of being alone with Cindy makes Tim want to throw up. Cindy is higher up on the social ladder than both Tim or George but it isn’t by much. To suggest that Cindy was the one who had a crush on him was a thought that Tim doesn’t want to entertain.

“I’ll talk to you later.” Tim states as he is going to make sure he isn’t late to his next class.

The day flows like molasses until finally the time comes for detention. Tim enters the room to find a usual group of deplorables who all eye him with mutual disgust. Tim takes a seat and starts on homework. Cindy comes in a few minutes later and takes the desk right next to him. She smiles like a cat who had just cornered a mouse and is about to play with it against it’s will. Cindy starts making Tim feel uncofortable and is fully aware of it. When he has finally had enough he decides to turn the tables on her.

“Do you want to go out?” He asks her.

“What?” She says shocked. She is taken completely by surprise at this turn of events.

“You know, on a date?” He follows up. Tim’s voice sounds irritated.

“What?” She repeats still not quite getting it. Tim decides it is time to make Cindy really uncomfortable. He gets up from his desk, walks around it and gets on his knees to beg. Everyone’s eyes are now fully fixed on Tim and Cindy except for the teacher who is lost in some app he is unsing on his phone.

“Will you please go out with me?” Tim begs.

“No!” Cindy shoot back, “Why would you even think that?” She follows up.

“Look, the truth is I think about you all the time and you’re the one girl who actually talks to me. I can’t stand it anymore. You have to go out with me.” Tim explains. Tim is lying. He knows that Cindy will never go out with him but maybe if she thinks he has a crush on her she will leave him alone for awhile.

The expression on Cindy’s face changes and softens.

“I didn’t know you felt that way.”, She says with a tenderness that took Tim completely by surprise. “Of course I’ll go out with you.” Tim’s gambit completely backfires. He thinks that she will run for the hills but instead she accepts his invitation. Now he has to take her out. Tim swallows hard but he can’t admit he is just trying to get back at her.

“Thank you.” is all he can say in response.

so, i guess my favorite books would be

- the perks of being a wallflower (by stephen chbosky)

- looking for alaska (by john green)

- paper towns (also by the john green genius)

- all the bright places (by jennifer niven)

- eleanor & park (by rainbow rowell)

- the catcher in the rye (by j.d. salinger)

- alice in wonderland (by lewis carroll)

i would describe the first six of these as american coming of age kind of novels, that represent teenagers not one-sided but deeply complicated and contrary. they all somewhat concern mental health and deal with multiple questions about life, death, love, friendship, forgiveness, self-discovery and so on. i don’t know- i just really like youth books and although i might grow too old for them slowly but surely and although english isn’t my mother tongue at all, those books in their origanal language have inspired me more than any.

so, these are my recommendations to you. although i could imagine if you don’t like one or two of these you might not like the rest either, but everyone’s different..

(i’m sorry if the book discribtions you asked for is only one and really generalized, i just really didn’t feel like discribing each of these as i put seven)

She walks up the stairs slowly, each step creaking softly in the fading daylight.

The house is quiet, and it feels peaceful, and that’s how it would stay in her memory.

Her hand runs past the banister feeling the old wood under the fingers and sensing each crack, sharp edge, or smooth line. Finally, she carefully reaches the third-floor window and opens it, listening to the low creak as she does so. She smiles and slips off the white cotton shirt that gently falls to the ground. She leans over the edge of the window and flexes the muscles, feeling her back start to bleed. She smiles again and inhales.

It’s time.

Deep lines open on her skin and scratch between her shoulder blades, red-stained feathers slipping out and blossoming like small flowers breaking the milk-white flesh as if through melting snow.

Time stops, and then suddenly, everything catches light.

There is nothing more in the soft summer air but an angel’s soft sigh.