Where Ya From, Kid?

Image by Joe Reilly

Skyler pointed straight up, and all the other kids laughed at him.

“It’s true!” he told them, turning red. “My country is above this one!”

“What, like Mars?” asked big Tyler, not bothering to hide his grin.

“No, Canada!” The kids just laughed harder. Skyler looked helplessly to his sister, who just shook her head.

Morning Commute

“Un-fucking-believable,” a man shouts, interrupting the silent light rail. Everyone exchanges glances as he keeps spouting obscenities every few seconds, pretty loudly.

He gets off at the next stop and a collective breath is released. We shake our heads, joined together for a moment in this oddity during our normally solitary, quiet commute.

First Day

Image by Joe Reilly

I enter to meet everyone, with my mind racing so quickly I barely hear their names. Then there’s orientation, explaining everything I need to know and do.

Am I really prepared for this?

The day ends. I return to my car to find my keys locked inside, miles from home in this cold parking garage. 

I Always Knew

The first time he held her hand, he knew. He knew they were stronger together and could do anything.

He still knew it when they married, as they created and raised three beautiful children, and when cancer reached her throat.

The last time he held her hand, she smiled and said, “I always knew too.”

When to Run and When to Stay

Image by Joe Reilly

Dakota was born on the streets. She knew which restaurants would give her a bite and which a boot. She knew how to hide, where to run, and when to stand her ground. She knew fearful nights in cold, dirty alleys.

Lying in front of the fire now, Dakota gave her human an extra kiss.

The Joke

“Knock Knock!”

“Who’s there?”

“Jimmy.”

“Jimmy who?”

“I'm your son, silly!” giggled Jimmy from his car seat.

“That’s right, you are! My Jimmy!” his mother responded, smiling back.

A big grin on his face, Jimmy kept silent only a moment as he watched his mother in the rearview mirror.

“Hey, Mommy?”

“Yes, Jimmy?”

“Knock knock!”

Henry Davis

Image by Joe Reilly

Henry Davis hadn’t always begged for spare change on Broadway and 5^th. He used to shake his head while passing “those people” in his shiny car, heading to his six figure job. But the stock crashed and he lost his job, his savings. No one would help or hire him. Can you spare some change?