Sally Jo…

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories8 Comments

She was a drab forty something in fuzzy pink house slippers and tights that made her ass look like the surface of the moon. A big flesh colored moon showing all the ridges, mountains and craters. Her thin tie-dyed t-shirt was a size too small and revealed the dark nipples hiding beneath it. She lit a joint and coughed the smoke into the space that separated her from the world. A woman stuck in the 1960’s while life moved on without her.

But Phillip will forever tell the story of how, at 17, a beautiful Greek goddess brought him manhood.

Autumn

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Free Verse, Poetry13 Comments

Young lives sacrificed to winter’s survival

Fields of brown saddened by missing hooves

Empty schools fill with sighs of freedom lost

Empty hearts break as love moves on

Green seas turn gold and brown

Trees explode with kaleidoscope colors

Anticipated fruit fills empty jars

New found lovers fill empty hearts

Ludere magis laborare!

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Non Fiction, Short Stories4 Comments

 Work hard…Play harder!

Way back a long time ago, when I was just a young lad and just starting to get a handle on life, my brother-in-law Tommy told me something that has stayed with me throughout the decades.

“Always make sure you take the time to enjoy life. If there is a job to be done, work as hard as you can to do it right. Just make sure than when the task is over that you celebrate just as hard.

Can I Play…

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Non Fiction, Short StoriesLeave a comment

I moved down the stairs and through the kitchen where I saw my mother slicing potatoes into a pan of hot grease. I passed my brother, setting on the front step, gently strumming his guitar. My sister pranced about the yard in make believe games. I reached out to touch her shoulder. She shivered and quickly turned toward me.

“Can I play too”, I asked. But as she opened her mouth to speak, the only sound that came out was of a man I did not recognize.

“107 degrees,” it said. “I have no idea how he is still alive.

Midnight on the Lake

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories2 Comments

The radios are silent. The only music left are the sounds of frogs and the wind. The bonfires have all burned to black ashes. Smoldering bar-b-que grills fill the air with the smell of burned hot dogs. The beach is littered with wet towels, blankets and empty beer cans. I feel so alone.

Across the beach the waning moon of August silhouettes your body as you remove your swim suit and walk into the water. You turn to face me and a reflection of light surrounds you. I go to you and our naked souls touch. I have been found.