Tourist Boats. Pattaya Beach, Thailand. Photo Credit: Will Pennington Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue filled the foyer. I listened for a moment before knocking. The music stopped, then began again after a few seconds. I knocked again, harder. The door opened, and Sasi peeked around the edge of the door and smiled. “Thomas. Come in. How wonderful of you to come.” She didn’t appear surprised. I … Continue reading Honey Ko, Chapter 20. Thailand
Along Walking Street, Pattaya, Thailand. 1983. Photo Credit: Will Pennington The crucial moment lay before us, quivering with anticipation, awaiting resolution. I was anxious. I had to see Sasi again, but kept putting it off. We spoke in the morning before I left for the airfield, exchanging little more than pleasantries, and again in the evening when I returned. I think she waited for my … Continue reading Honey Ko, Chapter 19. Thailand
Sunset. Yokohama Beach. Makaha, Hawaii. Photo Credit: Will Pennington Sasi’s condo loomed tall before me. The sound of breakers crashing on the cliff face below and the fragrant sea breeze mingling with coconut oil by the swimming pool brought a déjà vu moment to mind. Similarities between the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and Sasi’s place abounded. The only thing missing was Don Ho. I … Continue reading Honey Ko, Chapter 18. Thailand
Unloading Maintenance Equipment at U-Tapao Military Terminal. Photo Credit: Will Pennington Sasi. I dreamed about her. I shook the water out of my hair and stepped from the shower. Except for vague bits, I rarely recalled my dreams. Not that dreams had context. Did any dream make sense? Did dreams do anything more than increase the hurt? In the dream, Sasi was swimming in a … Continue reading Honey Ko, Chapter 16. Thailand
A uniformed doorman nodded and smiled to Sasi, but gave me the once-over and a frown as we passed. Revolving doors led to an expansive lobby buzzing with activity and the heady fragrance of incense. Another doorman took the groceries from me and gave them to yet another employee who disappeared who-knew-where with them. Plush, high-end sofas and chairs furnished sitting areas where visitors and … Continue reading Honey Ko (Sweetheart), Book 3, Chapter 14, Part 2: Thailand
Pattaya Beach, Thailand. 1983. Photo Credit: Will Pennington Adrenaline pumped my system into a throbbing, vibrating engine burning on twenty-four cylinders. I rubbed my leg to make it stop tapping the foot rail. My mind churned with anxiety and uncertainty. Shooting up caffeine wouldn’t have given me a bigger buzz. I rested my elbow on the bar and chewed my thumbnail as I stared through … Continue reading Honey Ko (Sweetheart), Book 3, Chapter 14, Part 1
I replayed my encounter with Sasi as I crossed Beach Road and walked along the promenade. The crowds of locals and tourists, the traffic, the whistles of traffic police, and the bicycle bells gave the city a vibrant hum. The sun beat down without mercy, but a breeze blew in from the sea, refreshing the area between the water and business side of the street. … Continue reading Honey Ko (Sweetheart), Book 3, Chapter 13, Part 2: Thailand
I wasn’t going back to Vietnam! Neither was Sam. Chip and the Command Master Chief said we had been there long enough. Others who needed the time in-country would replace us. I hadn’t felt such relief in months. The news drained the tension from me like I was shedding a layer of skin. Sam and I walked through the hangar bay like changed men, calling … Continue reading Honey Ko, Book 2, Chapter 12
I clenched my jaw until it ached to hold back the tears. Susanna’s soul had spoken to me, had wrapped around my heart, and lifted away my carnal love for her. She had spoken; she could not love me the way a woman can love only one man. I had to accept that. I had to grasp that bond and let it wrap around my … Continue reading Honey Ko, Book 2, Chapter 11, Part 2
Cigarette smoke assaulted my lungs as I made my way to the exit, already missing Marie’s fragrance. I had reached the door when I heard my name called above the screeching racket from the jukebox. I looked above the heads bobbing on the dance floor. Frank! Hey, Frank. Over here. Sam waved from the bar. I changed direction, but the door opened, forcing me to … Continue reading Honey Ko (Sweetheart), Book 2, Chapter 11, Part 1
I look for you in the white feather that floats from nowhere, the light footfalls that pause when I pause, the whisper over my shoulder while I write; I read your message in the flash across the night sky and breathe your orange blossom fragrance when the nearest orange blossoms are miles away I feel you without thinking, a touch upon my shoulder, a sigh … Continue reading The Whisper Over My Shoulder
My pulse raced as Frank walked away. I wanted to call him back, tell him I wanted to know him too, but I couldn’t. I was too proud to be the weak one. Too independent to seem dependent. I had been wrong about one thing, though. He wasn’t unlike other Sailors. He was unlike any man I had ever known. He was confident, but not … Continue reading Honey Ko (Sweetheart), Book 2, Chapter 10: Marie Taneo
The silence pounded in my ears. I wanted to sit and think, but my knees were locked. All I could do was stare at the door that had both opened and closed a moment before. I had learned something about Chip and something about myself. I had often noticed the purple heart ribbon among his many decorations but never asked for what action he earned … Continue reading Honey Ko (Sweetheart), Book 2, Chapter 9: Frank
I don’t remember the last time my dad and I shared a father-son moment. I can’t recall a time after childhood when awkwardness, discomfort, and suspicion didn’t taint our relationship. The father-son times we shared before I entered my teens weren’t yet memories by the time I turned thirteen. I learned at various times as a teenager that I was no good, that I would … Continue reading Hurtful Words and a Father’s Pride
Green, green of eye, with strangled cry and knuckled mouth, chasm-echoed tricks of thought, devil-filled, of shadows in the dark Behold the crack of heart’s desire, where love is thwarted, thinking he, she seeks another, one not he, but he his brother He must fly at risk of thunder from fool well-versed in blunder, bethought a man, beheld a cripple weak of heart and branded … Continue reading Gentle Dove of Sweetly Cooing Breast
There are stages of love as well as grief. I suspect more people know the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Few people understand that love has stages as well: infatuation, passion, routine (or restless), partnership, companionship. If grief comes about through loss of loved one, where does love come in? Love comes with loss of self, meaning love causes self to become … Continue reading On Love and Self
Sipping strong hot coffee while peering through the window; Scraggly hair and sleep filled eyes; Dreams still fading in the fog. Leafless trees hibernate storing energy for Spring; Dormant grass hangs on to green; Bird feeders full of diners Lack of cover lets me see the pruning that’s still needed; Clipping off the life impeding; Trim the wood that won’t bear fruit. Continue reading Winter Thoughts
First posted in October 2014. I flew from you last night, Reluctant, bound to her despite The dimming of the light That lies, and die vows of troth and love. Joy hastened sweep of hand, Relentless, bound to her demand And damning of the band That lies, and die vows of troth and love. Miles increase my desire, Reliant, bound to her cold ire … Continue reading I Flew From You Last Night
Beautiful writing from a beautiful voice. I find myself anxiously awaiting blacqbook’s next work. Please read, enjoy, and follow blacqbook. Continue reading Silence, by blacqbook
I walked through a wood one summer’s day, Afternoon light dappled a forest glade; Lily pad in green-black pond and on it lay A frog whose languid croak appeared to say, As he scratched white belly in sun’s warm ray, I shall not move on this hot summer’s day. I stopped to ponder my neighbor in green, Who, eyes near closed in dreamlike sheen, Lay … Continue reading The Frog and the Granite Shore – A Poem
I grew up with Zebco 202’s and caught quite a few bluegill, shiner, and catfish with Billy and Eddie in the pond next door. I even snagged a gator once but that was nothing compared to the nasty snapping turtle that tried to take his wrath out on my fingers. But I always preferred my bamboo fishing pole with the line tied to the tip, … Continue reading The Bamboo Fishing Pole
There is an intensity behind this writing that pulls me in. Maybe I identify with the writer’s honesty or with the topics. Whatever it is, I can’t stop reading and want to read more. I think you will too. Please read and share this writing and the thought that makes it possible. Add this site to your list of sites followed; you won’t be disappointed … Continue reading Reblog: Infinity Undone — The Birth Of Love
In all the nights you danced with me In the spins you laced with fire The music in your swaying hips The rhythm spilling from your eyes Another song, another dance Another tingling-spine romance Your writhing woke my naked lust Your pirouette my sucking breath My fingers strummed your humming lips Your quavering finish I undressed. Continue reading Play Me
🙂 This should be hummed to a happy tune 🙂 (but I didn’t need to tell you that ❤ ) When I was a young boy, I wished for the world When I grew up I found such a beautiful girl She loved me and I loved her And our love made the world a wonderful blur Around and around and around we danced Oh, … Continue reading She Loves Me and I Love Her
You left me in darkness when you went away. Even now, light dims when I think of you. I’m left with the nearly eternal absence of light because my thoughts are of you between the dawn and dusk of day. I am most alive when I dream of you for dreams are of what we were and what we should have been. The sun rises and shares … Continue reading One
Love isn’t cheap, although love can be cheapened. Love at any cost exacts an incalculable toll on the human soul. A five-dollar short time will get you love in Olongapo City, but what kind of love is that? Even a ten-dollar long time, an all-nighter, gets you nothing but relief, one more conquest to secure your manhood, and another sea story for the guys at work. Where’s the love? Where’s the … Continue reading On Love: Its Toll and Reward
I remember the night I fell for you, our romance and a lifetime of nightlong dreams. The dreams where you whisper so close to me, seeding memories inside my mind. And when I awake I think you are there and reach up to touch you but clutch empty air, then flinch from the gut punch when I know you’re a spirit and gone. I fall … Continue reading Of Love and Moonsweat
Your fragrance often wafts into my head guided by the metaphysical pinings of two souls and the bond between spirits not tethered to temporal moorings. Mortal boundaries span six feet of earthly separation but the heavenly plane exists within our senses. Comforting, that thought, and breathing your scent brings thoughts of your heaven wafting through my mind. For heaven is where you took me taking … Continue reading Of Love and Fragrance
Spurned When Spring’s hope fills the air, the rose opens with grace and a fragrant sigh. Warm flesh greets ice-cold metal and gives way to metal’s pointed sting. The space between heartbeats is silent but my ears ring with a terrible din. Crystal speckles dot the space between my eyes and the hardness before me. In Winter, the rose retreats into itself to await the … Continue reading Spurned
I cut a rose and placed it in a vase. The room became brighter and fresher. The sentence didn’t read right. A different word gave the story new meaning. A boy fell into an epileptic fit. Ignored, until another boy placed a stick between his teeth. The weight of the world breaks my heart. I push the dark away and bask in the warmth of … Continue reading Small Gestures
I knew you had something on your mind When you had nothing much to say; When you spoke I could feel the worry, You nearly lost your way; I read the breath between your words For what I hoped I wouldn’t find; There’s always something left unsaid When we’re trying not to be unkind. I searched the places in your head Where you run from … Continue reading The Breath Between Her Words
An attempt at light, airy lyrics. Hum it to any tune you please, then let me know if it makes you smile 🙂 I was passing by O’Grady’s When you saw me in your glass You smiled without turning And I skipped a little dance You pretended not to notice But you still laughed anyway And I made myself a promise To pass there every … Continue reading My Better Half
Your heart is a sheet of cold, thin ice; Spider cracks zigzag among open veins; Eggshells scatter before my footsteps; On my toes, I step between the cracks and crush the eggshells with my heels. I peel away onionskin layers of you; Vaporous particles explode into my eyes; They stick to fingers and leave them numb; With steel razor taut in my fist, I scrape … Continue reading Mornings, A Halloween Tale
She’s the girl with the curls, And a face with a sneer on her lips, And when she comes near, You tremble in fear Of the threat in the swing of her hips. She’s the fun in the sun, With trouble in the song on her tongue, And when she comes along, You feel so wrong, When you notice how pretty and young. She’s that … Continue reading She’s that Girl
“Two dead women, a death in Vietnam, and an infant hastily given up for adoption stand between Aida and marriage to Tom, the man of her dreams.” This is the pitch I’m using in the pitch event over at SavvyAuthors blog. The Pitch Event runs through midnight 17 September. You may pitch to both agents and publishers. Continue reading Critique My Pitch: Part Four, A Wished-For Love
“Decades after their tragic deaths, two women haunt the lives of two men broken by grief and a hasty adoption. One of the men finally comes to terms with his loss and finds love again. One cannot.” I didn’t provide a description of my story in previous posts, so I’ve added one here to help you critique my pitch. You’ll note there are two Susannas. … Continue reading Critique My Pitch, Part Three: A Wished-For Love
“Two dead women stand between Aida and marriage to Tom, the man of her dreams.” Thank you to everyone who commented on my original pitch. This is my latest draft. Comments and suggestions welcome! Continue reading Critique My Pitch, Part Two: A Wished-For Love
In the café, two tables away sat the woman Of my dreams, occupied reading a book; Silhouette in black, turning dog-eared leaves; I noted the dip of Cupid’s Bow, The gentle curve of her nose; The graceful line of her neck made My pulse beat double-quick; Leaning in, one elbow on the table, She lifted her coffee cup. I felt his eyes as I sipped … Continue reading Café of Nerves
Maine Street, and the town gazebo sits empty in the dark; The tower of the old parish church rises like my heart Above the ancient pines that line the lone road home; The college, whose yellow light-filled windows reflect The yearning of the young for the wisdom of the old, is quiet; Bowdoin Chapel tolls the hour and my watch softly chimes The same as … Continue reading The Gazebo
Swish, swish, swish, her tail sweeps the air, Shining eyes, she crouches there. Arcing high, the ball flies up, Leaping now, my flying pup. She takes the ball, prances ‘round, Twinkle toes, not earthbound. Come here, girl! but, oh, not she, Away, away, chase after me! Faster, farther, prancing still, She smiles at me, such a pill. Lets me near, then lies down, I come … Continue reading Mai Lee
I thought until death do us part meant one of us would cry At the loneliness we’d feel when our lover had just died; I never thought it meant that the love we shared might fly, That you’d run away from me instead of walking by my side. I thought that love and marriage meant forever and a day; How could I have known your … Continue reading Love Lost
Playfully, we spoke the words, “until death do us part,” She laughed, and her smile tugged at my heart, Will you love me in sickness and in health, she asked, Yes, my love, will you love me in poverty and in wealth? Of course, she said, her head tilted to one side, I’ll love you, you know, beyond the end of time; She turned her … Continue reading Susanna XI
I lose hope when I spend too much time reading the news. I despair of mankind living in peace and harmony. I despair of the world we are leaving our grandchildren. I gain hope and confidence when I turn off the news. I walk outside and see a world bigger than our differences. My spirits lift and soar when I walk among people and the … Continue reading Apples
I’m not a fan of monopolies no matter how convenient they make shopping, or how cheap they can sell products. Progress is good in many ways, but the easier it is to do things from a computer – shopping – the less time we spend interacting with others. It’s the same dilemma we find ourselves facing with cell phones. The computer and cell phone are … Continue reading Convenience
I can’t count the times I’ve been asked by a writer to provide “an honest” critique or review of his work. Invariably, I think to myself, “What? I’m going to give you a dishonest review? I’m going to lie to you?” I think what they mean is they don’t want me to spare their feelings. I never ask for an honest critique. Last month, I … Continue reading A Wished-For Love, Second Beta Review
Aida was the one all along, Susanna. Yes, Tomás. She has given me the half of my heart I buried with you. Yes, Tomás. I knew love would come to you again. I grieved so long for you, Susanna. Yes, Tomás. Too long. Aida makes me feel like you and I are together again. I know, Tomás. I can’t bring you back, Susanna, so I … Continue reading Susanna X
Writer’s dilemmas are a part of writing. They occur with every well-thought out novel. If you don’t find yourself boxed in somehow, then you probably have not written a plot complex enough to grab the reader and hold her attention. Plots should resemble life in its complexities. They need twists and turns, unexpected outcomes, surprises, and falls from cliffs with protagonists clinging by fingertips to … Continue reading Write Tight
Golden fields stretch far, Rolling hills studded with rocky ledge; My fingers brush the fibrous Beards of breezy strands Tapping at my legs; Behind me the reaper Harvests ripened grains. I move apace, steady on For looming edge. Continue reading Grains
I’m pretty happy with this chapter 🙂 Ten minute read Tom grinned when Sasi waved and called to him from her balcony. He returned her wave and walked faster. When he looked again she had gone. He pushed through the revolving door and strode through the lobby to the elevator. The clerk called to him but the words didn’t register. The elevator doors opened and … Continue reading Sasi and Tom, A Wished-For Love, Chapter Twenty-One
From Chapter Twenty-One of A Wished-For Love She turned to face the sea and he joined her, standing so close that their shoulders bumped. He inhaled the thick, jasmine scent of her perfume. The nearness of her body sent a thrill through him, lifting the hairs on the back of his neck. The thrill passed, but the feeling remained, a warmth that seemed to buzz … Continue reading Sasi II
Writers Envy 