Right to Be Here

Below is a simple piece, a sort of prose poem, that I had jotted about belonging some time ago and forgot about. I recently stumbled on the writing, reread it, and liked it. Rather than keep it tucked away in digital limbo, I figured I would share it. I think anyone who hasn’t felt like they belonged might find some meaning from it.

Here it is:

You arrived, after an unimaginable journey, disoriented and shy and looking wrong for arriving.

You belong here, we said, but, No, you don’t, they said. So we showed them. We showed them your smile, your frown, the way you blush and pale, just like us, but, No, you don’t, they said. We showed them your bruises, your stories of crushing loss, of small gains, made them feel as you had, but No, you don’t, they said. Finally, we stopped showing them. We dressed you. We fed you. We housed you. We connected you to others. And now, when we see them, we don’t even ask, because we already know, You belong here.

The Marmagar Is Out Now

Happy New Year, all.

In wonderful news to begin January, The Cold Issue of Crow Toes Quarterly (PDF and Print) is out now and includes my children’s horror poem, The Marmagar. It’s about a monster that can live on your face.

I’ve seen a digital version of the magazine, and the art and layout are eerily beautiful. Well worth dropping a subscription on. You’ll even receive a cool Certificate of Authenticity—pictured below—when you subscribe. A thoughtful touch that shows how much the staff cares about readers.

Children's Horror Poem Acceptance

A short post, but I wanted to share that I had a children’s horror poem accepted for publication. The poem is called, “The Marmagar,” and it should appear in the January issue of Crow Toes Quarterly.

I can’t remember where the idea sprang from, just that it stuck with me and seemed like it would be fun to write. So I wrote it, and it was fun. If my subconscious drew inspiration from anywhere, it was likely Shel Silverstein’s poetry book of monsters, Don’t Bump the Glump! And Goosebumps. All of my writing probably goes back to reading Goosebumps as a kid.

I’ll post more details when I have them, and I’m looking forward to sharing a scare with ya’ll.