Hatred

On August 16, 2017March 31, 2025 By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories14 Comments

Yesterday, I was fully prepared to openly admit that the Orange Man finally said something that made sense when he stated that the Justice Department would investigate and prosecute any persons found guilty in the tragic death and injuries that occurred in Charlottesville.

But, just as I was about to hit the post button, his childlike nature stepped forward once again and erased the final glimmer of hope I had for his redemption. This man’s ego just will not let him keep his mouth closed and unfortunately for the world, every time it opens, more of his ignorance pours forth.

America, I beg of you, can’t you now see the pure stupidity and moronic values that we have deemed fit to call the leader of our country. It should make no difference if you are Republican, Democrat, Independent or ‘I just close my eyes and make a mark’, the truth should now be apparent. There is no shame in admitting it. We made a mistake and now the fate of the world hinges on the ability of an unreliable congress to keep the insane Orange Man from doing the unthinkable just because someone told him he couldn’t have another cookie.

Hatred

You skulked down the hidden backstreets of rationality, peering through the keyholes of human decency and crawled in through the sewers of thought to whisper your name to the unsuspecting innocence, filling them with the fear of discontented oppression.

“We are America, Fuck You!” was your battle cry and the naive jump aboard your pretentious parade. Fake news… fake hair… FAKE TRUTH! Maybe we should have ‘read YOUR lips’.

Wall them out… or wall us in…that is the question.

Oh yes, my dear friend William… we are truly suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous buffoonery. Do we now take up arms and light the battle fires of resistance.

Or do we sleep… perchance to dream.

We must be careful what we dream for.

Good Morning America

On August 12, 2017March 31, 2025 By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories25 Comments

Good Morning Americans,

Just a little wake-up call for me this morning. While I was rinsing my mouth with Listerine Total Care Freshmint Anticavity Mouthwash this morning, I caught a glimpse of the back of the bottle. Under the heading ‘Active Ingredients, I saw only one thing listed; Sodium Fluoride w/v fluoride Ion. Not bad I thought, “Pretty simple and straight forward.” Being the country boy that I am, I liked that.

But wait, what’s this? Way down at the bottom of the label was another category…inactive ingredients. What the Hell does that mean? Are they Chemicals just hanging around not doing anything? If they’re inactive, why do we need them? So being the inquisitive person (nosy little bastard) I researched the rest of my morning routine. I tell you, I was as Dumbfounded as the Orange Man at a diplomatic briefing.

An American Routine,

Jump in the shower and spread a little…Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropl Bethane, Sodium Chloride, Dimethconol, Fragrance, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Citric acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tea-dodecylbenzensulfate, Tetrasodium edta, DMDM Hydanton, PPG-9, Methylchloroisothiazolimone, Methylisothiazolimone, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) Blue 1 (CI 42090)…into your hair and let that rest a bit while I lather up with some nice refreshing…

Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Cocamide MEA, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, PPG-9, Tedrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Yellow 6 (ci 19140), Red 33 (CI 17200)

Remember to rinse and repeat if necessary.

Jump out of the shower and dry off, then spread some of this on your face…Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Isobutane, Laureth-23, Propane, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fragrance, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, BHT and scrape it off with sharp steel blades.

Throw a little Aluminum Ziconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearyl Alcohol, PPG-14, Butyl Ether, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Talc, PEG-8 Destearate, Fragrance, BST on your armpits.

Brush your teeth with some…Potassium nitrate, Sodium Fluoride w/v fluoride ion,

Rinse with a little bit of.. Sodium Fluoride w/v fluoride ion, Sorbitol solution, Alcohol, Poloxamer 407, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Eucalyptol, Flavor, Methyl Salicylate, Thymol, Phosphoric Acid, Sucralose, Menthol, Disodium Phosphate, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Blue 1

Don’t forget to put a little…Allantoin, Chloroxylenol, Cetyl Esters, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Palmitate, Carbomer 934, Triethanolamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance on my crusty elbows and calloused hands.

The only thing left is to take my regiment of pills with a good ole glass of pure water…or is it?

That Red-Haired Girl

On August 9, 2017March 31, 2025 By Jerry BrothertonIn Non Fiction, Short Stories24 Comments

Every person’s destiny is created by a single point in time and we are forever tied to that event. That moment when the world starts to make sense and the pages in the book of our life, unfolds to reveal a glimpse of what will become our destiny. Every decision we make and every action we take for the rest of our lives, will always bring us back to that exact moment. For me, October 7th, 1972 at 8:16AM was that moment.

You walked directly toward me, emerging from the early morning fog like a mystical goddess passing through the veil between heaven and earth. As I watched you float down the gravel road my heart tried desperately to escape my chest and join you; longing to intertwine with your soul. Blood rushed through my body until my head became light and my vision began to fade. I had to look away or fall to the ground.

It was that instance that marked the beginning of the end of my innocents. I knew in that moment, I would have to forfeit my youthful ways and learn to deal with the raging hormones of puberty. I understood that time and nature would force me to relinquish my body to the sometimes exciting, but usually frightening, world of a teenager. Although at the time I could not tell you so… I knew that moment marked the beginning of the rest of my life. Oh how I have love that life.

Boobs…Food…Sleep

On August 7, 2017March 31, 2025 By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories17 Comments

There are only a few things that have the power to hold the interest of a fifteen-year-old boy. Boobs…food…sleep…and Boobs. If a fifteen-year-old boy fell off the Empire State building, on the way down, he’d be looking at the women’s boobs through the windows…all the while wishing he had a burger and some fries.