The Bark That Brought Us Joy

The Bark That Brought Us Joy

Dedicated to my cousins, whom I love dearly—Nina Diaz and Jordan Releford I remember when I first met you, Sebastian. It must have been sometime in the fall—maybe October or November. The leaves were turning, the air was crisp, and I had gone over to my cousin...
Five Minutes from the Capitol

Five Minutes from the Capitol

Charles used to have everything that mattered—his wife, his two children, Charles Jr. and Chloe, and a peaceful home in suburban Maryland, just five minutes from the heart of Washington, D.C. His family was his world. He worked hard, provided for them, and believed,...
Still in Love with You

Still in Love with You

Sitting at the table thinking again and again. I just thought of something fresh, picked up my paper and pen. There we were, you and I so all alone With our minds in some trance of a twilight zone. Yeah, I loved you and you loved me, And this love girl should have...
Through the Eyes of the Innocent

Through the Eyes of the Innocent

My name is Dimitri. I am thirteen years old, and I used to live in Kiev, Ukraine, above a small shoe shop with my father, Vladimir. He was all I had. My mother died the day I was born. I never knew her, but I saw her in the way my father smiled—only sometimes—and in...