The Beaten Path

A combination of mother, father

Well established roots

But we pray to fly

Tell them to sit

They have no words

You find the path

Teach them of love

Teach them of strength

Don't learn their hate

You are unusual

You are sensual

You are perfect

Trust in yourself

The truth is you know

Knowing is believing

Too long spent listening

To the wrong words

Too long hearing

The false meanings

Be proud

Be loud

Be still

Travesty in Pearls of Moonlight

 

Rays of Moonlight pierce the gap

Creator and Mother bore the heavy burden

she swims in her loss, lap by lap

the Sun stands as a steady warden

the Golden Rays take hold of the emptiness

Great Designers give birth to new forms of mistakes

he craves for far more Variants

from the Creator the fetter breaks 

The Bindle of a Crocodile

She looked down at her bare feet and stained girl’s wool nightgown. The floor was cold and the dress itched her skin. Dusk was resting its fat jowls on the town and the “reckoning time,” as Charlie called it, was upon them. She grabbed her chest as she began to feel the pain. The young girl grabbed her bindle before setting off.

            As she walked she dragged her hands across the bark of each tree. The rough texture took her mind off of the ache in her chest. The soil was still unsettled where she had left him. Using her tiny hands she began to shovel the ground away. It seemed like forever until she reached his body. His once pink lips were frozen, blue and purple. The arms that once sheltered her lay still and pale by his sides. She wept as his voice echoed in her head, “Now none of that girl stuff ya hear!” Her knight lay broken from the bullet that had torn through his body. Maggots ate at the wound she had given to her fallen friend. Her thoughts were too busy to hear the sound of feet disturbing the bayou’s floor.

            “Whatcha doin’ back here, gurl?”

            She slowly pulled her hands down from her face to see Billy Bob’s eyes bulging from their sockets. No words escaped her lips, only a soft whimper.          

            “Iz dat da Charlie boy?”

            She cried harder.

            “Come back from dere now, gurl.”

            She did not move; she could not move. The idea of abandoning Charlie was too much to endure. Billy Bob decided it was best to pick up the tiny sprite of a girl and move her away.  As he hugged her she began to fight like a wild cat. She thrashed, she bit, she kicked and she howled. When her eyes met his, she crumpled.

            “It’s awright, lil miss. I gotcha.”

            He moved her under a willow tree and returned to the body. She looked back soon enough to see Billy Bob kick Charlie into the swamp. Within only a second a croc swallowed him whole. As Billy Bob hoisted her over his shoulder she saw a series of snapshots unfold behind her eyes. The pregnant crocodile attacked a goat by the riverbank; a man wrestled the crocodile into submission; the same man dragged the croc out on the bank and finally hung it to a nearby branch. Then the scene slowed as he slit the croc’s stomach open to reveal the man possessed the same eyes as Charlie. As he spilled the stomach onto the floor he found the remains of his missing brother.  

Words on the Back of a Dog

A word lies,

It can bring you to your knees,

And lift you up to new skies,

They can come with fleas

Spreading, colliding, breeding

Confusion brews in the hopeful heart,

At the end you find yourself needing,

There is no being smart,

Let it in. Let it out.

Mercury for the Masses

            Lollie took in the pristine white walls and inhaled the smell of ammonia this brought on a feeling of. Although she was visiting her ill friend the simple clean walls washed a sense of calmness over her. Nothing needed to be reorganized; nothing needed her attention. She sat in a neat floral swing skirt dress. The dilemma that brought her to the asylum started to rear its stressful golden mane back into her heart. Not having anything else to put right she started to count the many purple and blue flowers decorating her dress. 1, 2, 3,4...66,67,68.

            “Hello, are you here to see Isabella… Dormis?” Asked the coarse voice, who had interrupted her counting.

            Lollie ignored the orderly’s intrusion and returned with a large smile. “Why yes, I am Lollie Faux”

            The orderly responded with a curt nod of the head and gestured for Lollie to follow. Lollie trailed the nurse through a series of halls and enjoyed the bright lighting that removed any sense of darkness. Finally after entering a large room with many chairs and tables Lollie saw her friend. Isabella sat with her shoulders hunched over. Her nose almost touched her knees. She looked like a house of cards ready to be blown away at the slightest breeze.

            “Bless your heart, hun. Are you alright?” Asked her old college roommate, Lollie.

            Isabella muttered a brief “yea,” then returned to her resting state of half sleep, but only to be nudged again by the fruit fly, Lollie.

            “Baby doll, we can’t have you lookin like that now can we?” She paused. “You look like a darn coon with those circles under your eyes.”

            Lollie cracked open her purse to retrieve her concealer and sponge. Next Lollie grabbed Isabella’s chin and dabbed furiously at her friends face, as if the layers of make-up could save her friend as it had Lollie in high school.

            “Sstop,” was all Isabella could muster up in response to her friend. Lollie saw Isabella’s muscles twitched as if she were trying to lift her arm to bat Lollie away. Sadness twisted Lollie’s heart as she imagined what her friend’s response would actually be if she were healthy:

            “Oh, come on Lollie. Who do you think I’m going to see in here? Am I going to doll myself up for the doctor?”  She might say as she crossed her arms in defiance followed by a quick roll of her eyes and headshake.

              “Darlin’ you never know who might be waitin round the corna! Plus, maybe that doctor you have could be just the man you’ve been needin”

            Of course Isabella would finally give in to Lollie’s persistence and Lollie would make her friend look as pretty as a picture. Lollie liked to carry around the picture of them down at the grove. Isabella with her dark brown hair straightened as if with an iron and Lollie with her golden locks in tight spirals down her heart-shaped face. The silk dress Isabella chosen from the square in Oxford was in stark contrast to Lollie’s choice of a bright summer dress.

            That is what Lollie really enjoyed about Isabella, her ability to be herself. Isabella always possessed a sense of self, which Lollie never could grasp about herself. Little help that did her now, she thought to herself. Lollie pinched her skin in response to her own cruel thought. 

Sunsets Send my Soul Soaring

The Sunset stopped on Cottages

Where Sunset hence must be

For treason not of His, but Life's,

Gone Westerly, Today—

The Sunset stopped on Cottages

Where Morning just begun—

What difference, after all, Thou mak'st

Thou supercilious Sun? 

Emily Dickinson

The Scarlet Caress

The Scarlet Egg

        Red silk caressed her skin as she twirled around the dance floor. She spun back into her dance partner’s arms and sighed, but looking up at his face she saw a deep black hole. She turned to flee, but he held her arm fast. Screaming for help, she searched the hall. The previously adorned great hall had turned into a cold brick dungeon with no means of escape.

        Scarlet streams of blood seeped on the marbled floor. His grip remained vise-like as he bellowed her name, “Debra!” “Debra!”

        “Debra, wake up!” A more familiar female voice emitted from the dark abyss of his face. “Debra wake up, you lazy bum!”

            Streams of light broke through her haze as she woke from her nightmare.  Birds whistled as she propped herself up on the grass to get a better look at her best friend, Heti Whegg. Heti’s short, white, red-tipped hair was plastered to her head from napping. Her bloodshot eyes trained on Debra as she said, “You were thrashing around again… Was it another nightmare?  Same one? You really need to get that checked out.”

        “I know,” mumbled Debra.

        “Anyways, did you see John with that blonde girl...”

        And she’s off, thought Debra. She twisted her long wavy auburn hair into a bun as Heti droned on about last night’s escapades, which Debra had no interest in rehashing.

        “Why if it isn’t Heti Whegg and Debra Belu, my two favorite outcasts,” said Tuk.

Oh, God not him. Flashes of clothing strewn out on the floor and clinking glasses went through Debra’s mind.

        Tuker Esme is the poster boy for the goofball, Ducky character of Pretty in Pink. His blonde hair always fell in front of his face, no matter how many times he blew it out of his hazel eyes, and his clothes never managed to fit his six-foot-stature.

        “You guys have got to read this,” he said.

        “Did the fashion police finally arrest you?” Said Heti sarcastically.

        “No, but funny. Another girl went missing this weekend. Her name is Bailee Wurfbeds. That makes ten total in the last month.” Announced Tuk.

        Debra rolled her eyes as her two friends started chattering on about the missing girls and what the suspect could possibly look like. All Debra needed to know was that ten girls had gone missing from colleges in the state of Ohio and no one had any leads on the supposed culprit. Luckily, no one had gone missing from her college, Ohio University, and she just hoped it would stay that way.

        After listening to them rattle on about the missing girls, Debra decided it was time to head off to class.

        “Well, as much as I love a good sleuthing, I’ve got class in ten minutes. I’ll catch you two later,” Debra said as she sat up and grabbed her book bag.

        As she sat down to class her mind was set on Arachne and Athena for her quiz. Debra’s mind was so engrossed in her studies she did not notice a stranger enter the room with the teacher; she barely even noticed the teacher announce:

        “Class, Class! There’s someone I would like to introduce before we start. This is Earl Bebdu; he will be the new TA for the class. Please go to him if you have any questions regarding the quizzes, Thank you.”

        Debra looked up to find the most alluring man she had ever seen. Earl was tall, dark, and handsome, to say the least. His sleek, raven-black hair was styled into a neat mohawk and his agate blue eyes shifted colors as he surveyed the classroom. She could not help thinking about how his stubble would tickle as she kissed his burgundy lips.

        “Bonjour, it is so very nice to meet all of you. I am very exalté to get to know all of you,” said Earl whose eyes rested on Debra for the briefest moment. In response, Debra turned a color that could match his lips.  

        After class, while Debra was walking out the front door she felt a tap on her shoulder followed by a smooth French accent asking:

        “Mademoiselle Belu, oui?”

        Debra’s face lit up with a smile before responding with, “Yes sir, but you can call me Debra.”

        “Well, Debra I would like to tell you how much I enjoyed your description of Arachne’s story on your quiz. Tres magnifique,” he answered with a mysterious smile.

        “Why, thank you, Mr. Bebdu,” answered Debra.

        “I was wondering if later you would be free to review the quiz and talk about the class with me? I’d love to hear your input on our material. Possibly tonight at eight o’clock sharp?” asked Earl with a suggestive wink.

        “Yea, um sure. I mean, of course. I mean, that sounds pretty cool to me!”  Stammered Debra, whose cheeks became the color of a freshly picked rose.

        “Wonderful. Until then, mademoiselle,” responded Earl.

        The date went very smoothly for Debra because barely anything was said. Earl simply watched Debra and nodded when he agreed with her. Millions of questions whizzed through Debra’s head. Where is he from? What is his family like? Does he have a family? What is his favorite color? What were his ex-girlfriends like? Were they pretty or crazy? Do I remind him of them? And on, and on, but she bit her tongue. Years of dating the bad boys of the world had made Debra very patient.

        Debra made it to two weeks of dates with Earl before Heti came barging into Debra’s room yelling:

         “Are you serious Debra, my supposed best friend? You’re dating a TA?! And didn’t even tell me?!”

        Debra sat up from her books and mentally prepared for Heti’s onslaught. Instead of listening to her irate friend, Debra hid behind her imagination. She envisioned Earl twirling her around the dance floor in a dashing tuxedo, but when she came back to his arms his black spiky hair had turned to a blonde mess.

        “Are you listening to me Debra? DEBRA!” barked Heti.

        “Yes, of course. And you have got to understand that I wanted to tell you, but you’re not only the biggest gossip on campus, you’re also an RA! You would have to tell the board,” rebutted Debra.

        For once in Heti’s life she was silent. Debra was not a woman of many words, but when she spoke she made each word count. Heti regained her wits and fired back:

        “You know better than that! I’ve known and been your best friend FOREVER! It’s not like I told anyone about you and Tu-”

        “No, do not mention that ever! You promised,” interrupted Debra.

        “Whatever, just tell me about this Earl I hear so much about from everyone but you,” retorted Heti.

        Debra dove into a full description of Earl, describing him from his commando boots to his well-styled hair. When she had covered his physical appearance, she realized she did not have much to say about Earl’s personality.

        “Well, we have only been going out for two weeks, so I just need to wait,” decided Debra.

        “Yea, okay, sure just like Jake who cheated on you… how many times? Ignorance is never truly bliss, Debra,” explained Heti.

        Debra ignored her friend’s warning and continued to date Earl without prying into his life. Finally after another week of being patient, Earl invited Debra back to his dorm to watch a movie. It was a large single with a bed, a dresser, a closet, and even a private bathroom.

        “I had no idea singles had private bathrooms!” said Debra eager to explore the room.

        “Oh, normally there isn’t one. I just had one installed,” explained Earl with a sigh.

        “Oh, I see, well what movie are we going to watch?” asked Debra.

        “They’re in the closet on the top shelf. Pick whichever one you like.”

        The closet Debra entered was more of a hallway than a closet. Earl must have converted a triple into a single. On top of his neatly hung clothes perched hundreds of DVDs. Each was alphabetically ordered. She finally came upon, “Out Cold,” and decided a comical movie would be the safest bet, but when she went to pull the movie out she slipped on the stepladder. To steady herself she grabbed onto the shelf and a couple of films tumbled onto the floor.

        “Is everything okay?” asked Earl

        “Yea, sorry just slipped. I’m fine.”

        Upon placing the movies back into their proper places she discovered a small wooden chest stationed in between the second row of movies. The intricate design of the box held Debra’s attention as she followed the engraved mahogany with her fingers.

        “WHAT are you doing?” growled Earl in a fury as he found her inspecting the box.

        “Um, nothing just replacing the movies that fell.” answered Debra in a whisper.

Earl quickly composed his distorted face, “Oui, understood, but please refrain from touching that box. There are only a few things in this world I wish to keep to myself to enjoy and they are in that box. I hope you understand, mon chéri.”

        Debra nodded in response.

        “Bien, so what movie have you chosen?” said Earl in a honey-soaked voice.

        In her shell-shocked state she simply held up the movie in her hand.

        “‘Psycho,’ one of my favorite Hitchcock films, merveilleux choice.”

        Debra was able to relax a little more as the movie began and Earl put his arms around her. Oh, it’s nothing. She thought to herself. Just him being a territorial male. She finally relaxed, but was unable to push out the many knots that had formed in her heavy stomach. She jumped from the bed and hurried to the bathroom to relinquish her dinner.

        “Are you okay, mon chéri?” asked Earl as he held back her hair.

        After she had finally finished she answered, “Yeah, sorry. It must have been something I ate. I think I’ll go home and sleep it off.”

        “That sounds like a good idea. Goodnight, mon amour.”

        Debra held her still-queasy belly as she walked back to her dorm alone.

        The nights were never-ending streams of nightmare after nightmare, and everything Debra tried to eat would come back up in the morning. She tried ignoring the frightening dreams, but for some reason she was very scared.  Debra kept going out with Earl. Somehow he did not notice the bags under her eyes; however, Heti was not blind to her friend’s downward spiral. Heti tried talking to Debra, but her questions were only answered with silence. After two weeks of begging her friend to talk to her, she brought in the big guns, Tuk.

        “I don’t know what it is about you, Tuk, but you hit a cord in her.”

        “Heti, we can’t bombard her… She’s not going to tell you anything until she’s ready,” said Tuk with an exasperated sigh.

        “Will you at least try to help her with me?” implored Heti.

        Tuk ran his fingers through his new crew cut and sighed again, “Of course I will help you, Heti.”

        Heti looked over Tuk and smiled.  She knew Tuk had strong feelings for Debra and also how good he would be for her. Since Debra had started dating Earl, Tuk had taken on a new look. His hair was cut short and he no longer wore baggy clothing. Tuk presently wore a blazer on top of a simple Rolling Stones t-shirt with a long necked dragon logo on the front and blue jeans that actually fit him. Even his ratty old sneakers had been replaced with leather loafers. In the last month he had also filled out from his daily visits to the gym and the dojo.

        When they reached Debra’s room they found her lying in bed, a complete mess. Debra was half off the bed and half in a trashcan. She looked up with mascara running down her cheeks and her last meal mixed in her hair. While Heti stepped back and gasped, Tuk swooped in and started rubbing Debra’s back and cooing to her. Debra was too lethargic to realize who was helping her and just leaned back, collapsing in his arms.

        “That’s it, Debra, you have to tell us what’s going on!” exclaimed Heti.

        “Nothing, I’m just tired,” grumbled Debra.

        “That’s not it Debra. You have to tell us,” said Tuk with a look of concern.

        Hearing Tuk’s voice seemed to alert Debra enough to rouse her from her clouded state of mind. “Tuk? What are you doing here? Heti did you bring him? What’s going on?”

        “He’s just here to help, Debra. We’re both worried about you,” answered Heti.

        “It’s nothing! I’m just letting my insecurities get to me, like always!” said Debra, who seemed to be coming to a little bit each moment.

        “What are you talking about?” asked Heti who was fed up with the lies her friend was feeding her. She grabbed her by the arms and screamed at her, while tears fell down her face: “I love you, Debra, and I am tired of you getting hurt. The previous guys you dated were emotionally tolling, but this guy is affecting you physically. I mean, look at you!”

        After Heti’s convincing declaration Debra finally told Heti and Tuk about the secret box that she had found in Earl’s closet and how he had started to become a different person. Earl would come back late at night and get mad at her when she did anything that did not sit well with him.  On top of that, she was having her nightmares again and could not sleep even though she was so tired.

        “That’s it. We are going to go see what’s in this box and be done with it,” declared Heti.

        “No, no. That’s a terrible idea! I couldn’t betray him like that,” begged Debra.

        “You’re brainwashed, Debra. You have no say in the matter, but will you come with me Tuk?” asked Heti, turning to the quiet male figure in the room.

        “If Debra doesn’t want us to go, then we should listen to her,” answered Tuk who had a look of defeat on his face.

        “Well fine! I’m going alone then,” proclaimed Heti as she marched out of the room.

        Night had descended while Heti sat outside Earl’s dorm waiting for him to emerge. At nine o’clock he finally came out, lighting a cigarette and pulling his leather jacket tightly around him. After waiting five minutes, she headed into the dorm and straight for his room. She easily opened the door, then walked into the closet and searched for the “Psycho” movie Debra had mentioned. Unfortunately, the little red box had been locked.  Heti headed out of the closet in defeat as there was no way she could find the key in this hallway of a closet, but as she went to open the door she looked down on the dresser to find a key.

        “No way it’s this easy. I guess I might as well try it,” said Heti aloud to no one in particular.

        Heti returned to the spot where she had found the box pulled it off its snug abode and tried the key. With a quiet click, the chest unlocked. Slowly she opened the lid and found paperwork and a passport; nothing out of the normal. However, after moving the paperwork aside, she was startled to find dozens of girls’ licenses. Heti had ever heard of any of them, except one. Bailee Wurfbeds’ license picture smiled back at her mockingly. Where have I heard your name before? She thought to herself and then, like the lock on the box, the pieces clicked together.

        Suddenly, Heti heard the door slam open and then close. She heard hurried footsteps, a pause, and then more footsteps. She looked around the large closet to find a place to hide, but behind the clothes was a pristine white wall. Earl entered brandishing a silver dagger. He appeared confused when his green eyes rested on her and said, “Oh, I wasn’t excepting you, but I suppose you will have to do.”

        Earl grabbed Heti by the hair and started to drag her toward the bathroom. Heti kicked and fought as she tried to escape Earl’s grip, but he was too strong. She closed her eyes. Her whole life spread out before her and a warm bubble of peace surrounded her as Earl’s knife sliced her neck.

        Debra’s mouth lay agape as she saw the life of her best friend drain out of her.  Earl looked up with blood smeared across his face, his eyes two emeralds under a crimson mask. She tried to run from the scene, but doubled over in pain. The cramps rippled through her as she lay on the ground crying. Debra pulled her hand from between her legs to find blood covering her palms. Earl approached Debra as a scarlet pool began to form around her body.

        “You dirty putain,” said Earl as he pulled back the knife to strike, but Tuk came barreling into the room.

        Tuk slammed his body into the Earl, who staggered back, surprised. The two grappled for the dagger that lay near Debra’s broken body. With all of her might she dragged her body far enough to grab the knife and slide it towards Tuk’s outstretched hand. Tuk plunged the dagger into its owner’s heart. Earl’s body fell with a heavy thud onto the floor. Tuk walked over to Debra, pulled her into his arms, and rocked her as she let out sobs of relief and sadness.

            “Was the baby his?” asked Tuk, holding back tears of distress.

            “No,” was all Debra could say, but Tuk confirmed his understanding by embracing her tighter.

            Blue and red lights from the police cars outside filled the room as Debra thought, a hug never felt so good.