I’m distracting myself because writing feels like a job. A job I don’t want and one I have to wake up at 4 am to commute far too long to make barely enough money for the water bill. Since Thanksgiving is this week, I’m thinking about gratitude. And how I’m not the best at it.Continue reading “Quittin’ Time”
Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl
Somewhere With You
Heading to Toronto, riding the rails. Strands of lights under eaves brighten the shadows. I step into the light of which I’m not. Oddly lovely are the people. A stranger in the cafeteria can’t cope with being known. That blonde, of course she sees, the hate within her like gun powder. A conveyor belt toContinue reading “Somewhere With You”
Tease The Day
On the drive home, my mind replays the countless stories of clients. It’s hard to tell which stories are my own. With the state of my mind bursting through a dam, I vent into a voice recorder on my phone. “This is why you follow the rules. When you go outside them, there’s no script.Continue reading “Tease The Day”
A Spot Of Tea?
The juice supplying creativity amounts to barely a drop; if served in a saucer, a mouse would say, “What kind of restaurant is this?” and then throw it to the floor. Not enough for the smallest vermin, not enough for me. The heater sounds like someone’s holding a note far past their lung’s capacity. IContinue reading “A Spot Of Tea?”
A Fraudulent Smile
Don’t try selling me anything unless you’re a cute little ringlet-headed child with a brown vest, red hat, and a box full of cookies. I’m like a bloodhound; I can smell the sell from a mile away. An enticing $59 price tag for exams, x-rays, and a cleaning, sent me to a local dentist forContinue reading “A Fraudulent Smile”
She’s A Small Wonder
A hard parenting night, the building up of work to-do’s, and a blank mind equally block the imagination’s flow. Right now, it’s a Kraken game that’s strangling my creative juices; a goal for the opposing team with 3.3 seconds remaining tied it up. And seconds into OT, they scored again. Sports stress me out. ButContinue reading “She’s A Small Wonder”
Belly Of The Beast
Dave’s got a light strapped to his head, a cigar in hand, and a baby monitor and lighter in his pocket. Obviously, he’s up to no good. And that I’m bundled up and about to follow him out in the night means I’m likely not either. Burning brush we are, and since our smoke signalsContinue reading “Belly Of The Beast”
Nitwit Lice Lessons
I pushed six wheelbarrows full of browning and yellowing fallen leaves into the slippery, muddy muck of the duck pen. Not often do the ducks wag their tails, but at seeing the piles of leaves, their back ends happily swished to and fro like fans on a hot day. Did you know that lice eggsContinue reading “Nitwit Lice Lessons”
Show ‘Em, Don’t Tell: A Writing Exercise
Choose one of the following: “Describe the gunky stuff that gets caught in the basket at the bottom of the sink. Don’t use the words disgusting or gross.” “Chris walks into a room. By describing only the reactions of the others in the room, let us know something about him.” “Some people can’t smell. In one paragraph, makeContinue reading “Show ‘Em, Don’t Tell: A Writing Exercise”
Puddly Boots
I have a last-minute cuddly buddy in bed with me; messy red-headed, milk-guzzling, four days away from three-years-old, Evelyn. She had a belly ache from three toddler-sized bowls of tomato soup, but after milk and the offer to stay in my bed with me, she’s feeling better, and giggling and rubbing herself in the coversContinue reading “Puddly Boots”
Going On 40 