J.M. Crowley

5 April 2021

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Bed

 

Like clothes from the dryer, I want to lay in you all day.

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29 March 2021

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The Pollening

 

Itchy eyes. Sneezing. Constant dripping from the nose. Spring has come for us all.

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22 March 2021

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Malaise

 

Spread across the couch and wrap in a blanket. Follow me this afternoon for more uneasy recipes.

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15 March 2021

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Beware

 

The Ides.

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8 March 2021

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Regret

 

Six letters. A lifetime of suffering.

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1 March 2021

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A Modern Koan

 

What is your worth if you do not post?

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22 February 2021

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Crêpes

 

Sound terrible. Taste delicious.

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15 February 2021

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Radical Awakening

 

"It's three a.m. What the hell?"

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8 February 2021

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Gotta Go

 

Bathroom Out Of Order

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1 February 2021

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Oops

 

"Where are you? We started twenty minutes ago."

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25 January 2021

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Solitude

 

A closed door. A sigh of relief.

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18 January 2021

 

Rules of Engagement

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"Will you marry me?"

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She said no.

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11 January 2021

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The incessant honking of someone’s car alarm pulsed in Jason’s brain. It was 4 a.m., and he had been listening to the blasts for twenty minutes, with extended pauses every so often, presumably so the car could catch its breath and start again.

            Jason put a pillow over his head and groaned. For three days now, he hadn’t fallen asleep before 2 a.m., and he had been determined to actually get some rest tonight. A quick succession of beeps sounded from the hallway just outside his door.

            “The fuck?” He removed the pillow and listened intently. Silence. Except for the damn car. He started to roll over when he heard the beep-beep-beep again. He sighed and threw back the covers. Cool air rushed his naked form, augmented by the cold hardwood floor beneath his feet as he stood up.

            Stepping into the hallway, he glanced around for the source of the noise, but the space was empty. Then he heard it directly above him: beep-beep-beep. Slowly, he turned his head and saw it.

            There, just beyond arm’s reach, a pale round face with glowing red eyes stared back at him.

            Jason didn’t move.

            The face didn’t move.

            Silence.

            It took a moment to register the honking from the street had stopped. What had been irritating, now proved to have been a strange companion. Jason now felt alone as he faced this new intruder.

            Beep-beep-beep.

            It taunted him. Daring him to do something.

            Jason looked away, moving slowly toward the hall closet, acutely aware of the face’s powers of detection. Avoiding turning on the light, he groped in the dark for the smooth cool metal he knew was sitting just inside.

            This should do it, he thought as he made his way back to where the face still rested, unmoving.

Beep-beep-beep.

But still taunting.

This will shut you up.

Gripping the metal firmly, Jason knew what he had to do. He climbed the stepladder and removed the smoke detector’s batteries.

 

 

4 January 2021

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Stripping

 

Thrilled. Scared. On view for all. Do they like what they’re reading? 

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