Category: flash

Coincidence, Fate, or the Hand of God

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories2 Comments

Just a few miles down a dust covered road from my hometown of Wakenda, the Missouri river rolled its muddy water eastward. It offered life to the small farms struggling against poverty. It offered money to the barge owners that floated its turbulent waters. It offered hope to those that moved their goods to better markets.

But to one young boy standing silent on its bank staring into the murky water… it offered a promise. It promised to cool the sweltering Midwest heat that was beating down on his shoulders with the fierceness of Hell itself. It promised to take away his pain and give him peace. It promised him that he would never be hungry or ridiculed for being different. It promised him he would never be rejected. The hypnotizing swirls called to him; whispering to him a promise of freedom.

What a simple thing it would be to do, he thought. Just slide one foot closer to the edge. Just one small step and let the water surround him. With a smile of contentment on his face, he turned to take one last look at his friends as if to say goodbye. That’s when he realized he was getting a bite on his fishing line.

“Holy shit,” he said as he reached down and cupped one hand around the pole and gave it a jerk. Ten minutes later, he was holding the largest catfish any one had seen in years.

One moment…

A single point frozen in time…

Placed there, perhaps, to change one person’s world…

 

There is more to a poem than a rhyme

There is more to a day than just time

Through all the hatred, laughter and sorrow

There will always be hope of a better tomorrow

My Apologies

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories17 Comments

Let me begin by offering my sincerest apologies.

As most of you know, I work in retail. Well, I can tell you that the retail world comes filled with its ups and downs for sure. Either everyone believes that Trump is the new Savior or perhaps they are convinced that the world is coming to an end. Whichever the case may be, they are definitely stocking up. Although I’m not really sure why we would need so many Fidget Spinners, Fingerling Puppets, or Hatchimals in the New World Order. Maybe I’ve just been so busy that I didn’t get the memo.

At any rate, November found me totally unprepared. So I was unable to spend the amount of time I would have liked with my fellow bloggers.

It appears that December is going to follow in November’s footsteps as extended hours and unusually large crowds vie for my attention. I know that I have missed out on some wonderful blog posts from my fellow WordPress friends. Please forgive my silence and negligence. I will attempt to catch up when the world slows down and people regain their sanity.

Until then, I would like to send you belated blessings for the Thanksgiving holiday and wish you a safe and joyous Christmas season.

He Shall Return

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories10 Comments

My king is gone and my heart quakes at his memory. Men have forgotten what it was to have him in their depths. We are stone and no longer feel our hearts beating in our breasts. There is no one we could call to be a leader of men. Without guidance we are little more than animals. We squabble and fight; turning on our brothers because they do not have the same veneer. We kill each other for scraps of nothing. We are consumed by hate and blackness. The true courage of men has failed.

But hear me all you Heaven and Earth. Rejoice… for as long as there is but one left that keeps kindness in his heart, he will come again. His return will begin in the small deeds of man… in forgotten things and insignificant actions. Kindness will spark the kindling of Love and it will spread like wildfire through the souls of men.

There are No Atheists in Foxholes

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories12 Comments

“It isn’t the battle that scares you the most. There’s no time to think about death. It’s the quiet times before the fight that makes you shiver. That’s when you think about Heaven and Hell and second guess if you’ve made the right decisions in life. Even those who claim there is no God will still pray.”

An unnamed soldier

78th Engineer Battalion

1975

Keep it Simple

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories25 Comments

Mrs. Backyard Poet was watching some movie the other day. I couldn’t tell you what the name of the movie was or anything else about it, except the closing theme song. It was simply the words ‘you can do anything’ repeated over and over again for what seemed like a thousand times. I was so irritated with it that I got up and left the room. But now, many days later, those words are still stuck in my head. Proving the analogy ‘keep it simple stupid’ is still the best practice and it reminded me of how our lives can be defined by just a few lines or even a few words.

Of all the eloquent speeches and writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. most people can sum him up with the simple phrase “I have a Dream”. Very few of us remember much more. What about Abraham Lincoln? If asked what words from ‘Abe’ do you remember, a vast majority would say “Four score and seven years ago” When we hear, “Elementary my dear Watson”, we immediately think of Sherlock Holmes even though it was never said by that character. Who can tell me the person responsible for, “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? How else can we put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations of the infinite and eternal? And I avow my faith that we are marching towards better days. Humanity will be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.” Hardly anyone; but what about, “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give” then we instantly think of Winston Churchill.

Because it’s simple and easy to remember.

Not yet convinced…let me give you a few simple words and see who comes to your mind. Disclaimer…some are not actual quotes from the person accredited for saying them.

“Let’s make America great again”

“Read my lips, no new taxes”

“I am not a crook”

“Walk softly and carry a big stick”

“We are bigger than Jesus”

“Play it again Sam”

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”

“You get a car, you get a car, and you get a car”

Even when talking about our neighbors we shorten them to a few words. ‘He’s the bald guy that has the poodles’ or ‘the woman that drives the red minivan’ or ‘the couple with all the kids’. I can remember my father telling an acquaintance about me once.,“You know…the one that lives in the city. He’s married to Deb”. Thing is, everyone knew who he was talking about.

So I’ve been thinking, as us old people often do, about how I would like for my epitaph to read.

Father, Husband, Son, Poet…Friend.

Simple.

How do you want to be remembered?